


Time Won't Let Me

by Ketch22, wegoddessofhell



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Monster Hunters, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Dean Winchester, Bullying, Castiel and Dean Winchester Being Idiots, Castiel and Dean Winchester Have a Profound Bond, Chuck Shurley is Not God, Closeted Castiel (Supernatural), Closeted Dean Winchester, Cute But Will Break Your Heart, Dark Magic, Depression, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Language, F/M, Gay Castiel (Supernatural), Gryffindor Dean Winchester, Guns, Hufflepuff Castiel (Supernatural), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Knives, Loss, M/M, Minor Character Death, Non-Explicit Sex, POV Castiel (Supernatural), POV Dean Winchester, Protective Dean Winchester, Psychological Torture, Purgatory, Quidditch, Slow Build Castiel/Dean Winchester, Strategy & Tactics, Suicidal Dean Winchester, Team Free Will (Supernatural), Tracker Jackers, Violence, Wands, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:27:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 41
Words: 253,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22247086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ketch22/pseuds/Ketch22, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wegoddessofhell/pseuds/wegoddessofhell
Summary: Entering his 5th year of the Voldemort-controlled Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, muggle-born Dean Winchester is faced with the prospect of the Choosing - a ceremony where twelve students are picked based on blood status to participate in the Mudblood Games. In the Games, the tributes are transported to Purgatory. If you're the first to find your way to the portal out, you become part of Voldemort's world - and if you're not, you die. Will Dean, Sam, Castiel and the others be Chosen, or will they simply have to sit by and watch their friends suffer at the hands of the cruelest supernatural threat the trio have ever faced?
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Lisa Braeden/Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 168
Kudos: 56
Collections: The Destiel Fan Survey Favs Collection





	1. Long Train Runnin’

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to CeliPuff for the aesthetics!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PART ONE

**_Dean_ **

Dean Winchester studied Platform 9 ¾ with a weary eye. He was ready to go back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but he wasn’t entirely eager to leave the safety of his home. Despite the current state of the Wizarding World, Dean and his brother Sam had managed to have a pretty fun summer. Sam was a Gryffindor, just like Dean - but a year younger. Sam was going into his fourth year and Dean was heading into his fifth - which meant things would be different for him now. Ever since the dark wizard Voldemort overthrew whoever the last Minister of Magic was, Hogwarts has been more of a training ground for the older students rather than a place of actual learning. That suited Dean fine on most days, he preferred a hands-on experience to pouring over dusty old books in the library.

He chewed on his lip, watching Sam make his way through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. Sam was safe from the worst changes at Hogwarts, at least for now. That fact comforted Dean slightly as he pushed his own cart through the seemingly solid brick wall that separated the Muggle world from the Wizarding world. The crowd of people he was met with blocked his path, and he lost sight of Sam in the fray. He groaned, maneuvering his possessions around kids and their parents kissing each other goodbye. He tried not to let his gaze linger on any particular farewell, partially due to the pang of jealousy he felt at seeing the level of affection most of these parents were freely showing their children, and partially because he simply felt like he was intruding. As he made his way onto the train, he caught sight of Sam ducking into a compartment about midway down. He stowed his baggage and followed his brother, just long enough to make sure he was okay. He smiled as he passed, seeing Sam with a few of his friends and getting his hair mussed by the girl he pined over all summer. Dean ducked into an empty compartment, pulling out his dad’s journal.

His parents never came to see him or Sam get on the train… they’d drive them to King’s Cross, but Dean had never been able to get them to even get out of the car. He frowned at the yellowing pages of the journal that used to connect him to his father. Now, the stories of creatures John Winchester had hunted only caused a pit to form in Dean’s stomach. Sure, the stories were great when Dean was a kid. His dad was a hunter, which to most kids would have meant he got dressed in some sort of camo and hunted deer, or maybe coyotes, but it didn’t take long for Dean to find out that his father’s targets were much… _bigger_ . His dad hunted creatures like werewolves and vampires, ghosts and ghouls. Definitely not deer. Dean used to think he was a hero, until his 11th birthday when an _owl_ of all creatures delivered a letter that changed his life. A year later, the same thing would happen to his brother. They were wizards… the very sort of things that their father spent his life trying to kill. Dean didn’t think he’d ever seen his father that mad. The letter that explained Hogwarts and the wizarding world was, of course, burned immediately. It didn’t deter Dean and it most certainly didn’t deter the flock of owls that followed, each carrying a letter identical to the one that found a home amongst the ashes in their fireplace. It took weeks for his mom to convince his dad to let him go, and in the end, Dean was fairly sure his dad only agreed because he couldn’t stand the sight of him anymore.

He turned the page in the journal, running his thumb over the words he’s read a thousand times: _“In their transformed state, werewolves are mindless beasts - acting purely on instinct and are incapable of rational thought.”_ He was interrupted when Lisa Braeden slid open the compartment door and sat down across from him.

She grinned broadly at him, her eyes shining. “Hey Dean! How was your

summer?” Her smile faded slightly as she added, “I guess you didn’t get my letters.”

Dean glanced at her quickly and then averted his eyes. “Nah, I got ‘em, just couldn’t write you back. You never gave me your address, and the owls near my house don’t exactly know how to deliver letters. The one you sent always took off again before I could find my damn quill.”

Lisa frowned slightly, forgetting again that Dean was technically from a muggle family. He had such a natural gift for magic, it was sometimes hard to remember he hadn’t been doing it his whole life. Her voice softened. “Hey, that’s okay. Are you ready for another year?”

He gave a noncommittal shrug in response, looking at the floor and trying not to think about what was potentially in store for him. “Yeah, I guess. It’s gonna be like any other year, right?”

Lisa moved over to sit next to Dean, taking one of his hands in her own and leaning into his shoulder. “It’s going to be fine, Dean. Hogwarts is a big place, and they’re only going to take one kid from our house and year. I’m sure you’ll be fine, even if your name does get picked… I’d bet my whole stock of Chocolate Frogs that Gordon Walker takes your place. He actually _wants_ to go.” Dean leaned back, kicking his feet up on the seat where Lisa had been sitting and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. He tried to remember that her name is up for The Choosing this year too, and the gloomier he was about it, the worse it would be for her. He squeezed her gently and chuckled. “Yeah, that crazy son of a bitch has been chompin’ at the bit to get to his 5th year. Guess it’s his time to shine, huh?”

Lisa nodded briefly and then fell quiet, allowing Dean to slip back into his thoughts. _The Choosing. Already? How the hell did time pass so damn quick?_ Every year since Voldemort gained power, 5th, 6th, and 7th year students were chosen from each of the four Hogwarts Houses - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. One kid from each year in each house, for a total of 12. They were always… _lesser_ students, ones that Voldemort deemed unworthy. Voldemort hated anyone and anything that wasn’t a pureblood wizard. That included half-bloods, muggle-borns, and just about any creature that wasn’t a giant. Even Voldemort knew the tactical advantages behind having a giant on his side. The rest were disposable, and seen as less than human. There was a problem, though, as there so often is when bigotry is involved. And that problem was population. The purebloods were dwindling in numbers, and Voldemort created a solution: the Mudblood Hunger Games. He’d r0und up a mix of students and magical creatures from Hogwarts and give them a chance to prove that they belonged in his new world order. Names would be drawn from The Goblet of Fire, and unless someone volunteered to take your place, you were transported with the rest of the chosen few to Purgatory. Not much is known about what happens in Purgatory, but only one tribute ever makes it out alive. The rest either die in Purgatory, remain trapped, or… by some outlandish theories, are fed to Voldemort’s snake Nagini if they aren’t the first one to find the portal out of there. Dean shuddered at the thought of being fed to a giant snake, which causes Lisa to sit up and squeeze his hand.

“Seriously, Dean. Quit worrying. You’re not going to get chosen, and neither am I. We’re going to have a great year and you’re going to pass all your exams and then I’m kidnapping both you and Sam over the summer.” She nodded her head once, matter-of-factly.

Dean narrowed his eyes at her. “Sorry, what now?”

Lisa nodded again, more insistently this time. “You heard me, Winchester. You and your brother are going to come stay with me whether you like it or not. My mom already talked to yours, it’s all set up.” She grins and kisses him quickly. “It took me ages to convince my mom, but I finally did it. I told her how you have to stay at school over the holidays and you dread going home for the summer break, because your dad is such a --” She cut off abruptly and pursed her lips. “I’m sorry, Dean. You know what I mean, though. She thought it would be good for you two to spend some time with proper wizards, and I --” She blushed, and continued quietly, “I didn’t want to spend another summer away from you. Please tell me you’ll at least consider it?”

And he did consider it. A summer away from his dad sounded too good to be true. He smiled widely and kissed her again, just as Finnick Odair opened the compartment door and made a very disgusted noise when he saw them. “Oy! Get a room, you two, other people have to share this train too.” He walked over and shimmied himself between them, then looked over at Lisa and winked, clicking his tongue. “Hey Braeden, you miss me?”

Lisa scowled and Dean smacked Finnick’s arm, then pushed him to the seat opposite him. “Don’t be a toolbag, Finn. You know she’s about as taken as it gets, so knock it off.”

Finnick’s eyes danced as he smirked at Dean. “What, are you afraid of a little competition, Winchester? That doesn’t sound like you at all. Who hurt you over the summer?”

Dean rolled his eyes, but was more or less thankful for the distraction. He had a feeling he was going to need a lot of those if he was going to survive this year.


	2. The Boys Are Back in Town

**_Dean_ **

By the time the train was close enough to Hogwarts to merit him changing into his robes, his once-empty compartment had been overrun by people. Sam had joined a couple of hours into the ride, followed closely by Alyssa Blake. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw them together, because it seemed like Alyssa was finally warming up to his little brother. He watched her mess up Sam’s hair for the second time this train ride, and then a third, and then a fourth. Garth Fitzgerald, a tall, goofy sixth year Hufflepuff boy took up nearly half the remaining space in the compartment. He was all limbs and no grace, which just made Dean even more claustrophobic because he couldn’t move an inch without bumping into him. The small space on the seat not currently occupied by a person was riddled with candy wrappers and empty Chocolate Frog boxes - it would seem Lisa’s stash of them was every bit as big as she made it seem.

When Jo Harvelle peeked in the door and offered a game of Exploding Snap, Dean took that as his cue to go change. He declined her offer, perhaps a little more forcefully than he would have done at this time last year, and climbed over Finnick’s legs to get to his trunk. He was pretty sure he elbowed  _ someone _ in his attempt to free his robes, but who it was that received the blow, he couldn’t tell. The volume level in the entire train seemed to increase the closer they got to the school, and by the time he stumbled into the corridor to head towards the restroom, he could barely hear himself think. 

He changed in a hurry, straightening the front of his robes and trying to get his hair to lie straight as he walked out of the restroom again. He stopped abruptly when his downcast eyes landed on a pair of shoes that didn’t belong to him. He looked up quickly, but not fast enough to stop the distracted owner of those shoes from running smack into him, knocking his clothes out of his hands. “Whoa, easy tiger… watch where you’re goin’, would ya?” Dean ducked down to pick up his belongings, and when he stood back up, he found himself at eye level with Castiel Novak. He fought the urge to roll his eyes, because honestly… he should have known. Throughout his previous years at Hogwarts, he’d seen this particular Hufflepuff often enough to know that ‘distraction’ should have been his middle name.

Castiel blinked at Dean, then said in an annoyingly low voice, “Oh, umm, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, I didn’t notice you.”

Dean lost the battle against rolling his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. What the hell are you doing, anyway? Isn’t the special-privilege bathroom on the other side of the train?”

He squinted his eyes at Dean, frowning. “Special-privilege?”

“Yeah, don’t the sixth years get their own or somethin’?” Dean adjusted his grip on the clothes and shoes in his hand, looking around Castiel and trying to gauge how easy it would be to get around him without knocking him over.

Castiel noticed Dean’s movements and turned his head to look behind him as well. “I’m unsure… what are you looking at?” 

Dean narrowed his eyes slightly. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re kinda a big dude, and we’re in the doorway to a friggen bathroom. I’m just tryin’ to see how I’m supposed to get outta here without creaming one of us.”

“Well,” Castiel began, matter-of-factly, “I could just back up and step to the side as so.” He turns and walks back the way he came, ducking into a little section of seats. “Problem solved,” he grinned.

For the second time in five minutes, Dean found himself rolling his eyes. He lowered his

voice and did his best impression of Castiel as he walked past him, “I could just step aside, like so.” He scoffed and kept walking. He wasn’t sure what it was about Castiel that bothered him so much, but it was definitely  _ something. _

Castiel heard Dean and tilted his head, watching him go as he muttered quietly, “Who hurt you?”

Dean definitely wasn’t far enough away yet that he missed that, despite the ever-growing buzz of excited voices around him. He shook his head as he opened the door to his compartment, wondering to himself why everyone kept asking him that, and if he even had an answer.

About a half an hour later, they finally arrived at Hogwarts. Dean couldn’t resist the urge to press his nose against the window as the castle came into full view. It still impressed him, even after 4 years here. It was so different from anything he’d seen back home, and he wasn’t sure if there was another place like it in the whole world. He found his tension easing as he walked with the other fifth years to the carriages that seemed to pull themselves. The carriage ride ended as quickly as it began, and he made his way towards the front doors of the place that had become his true home.

Inside of the Entrance Hall, it didn’t take long before Sam found him again, and they quickly met up with the four biggest troublemakers in Dean’s year - James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Dean grinned widely when he saw Sirius, and the two fell in step with each other as they walked to the Great Hall and took their seats at the Gryffindor table. Sam and the others filled the seats around them, and Dean scanned the table for other familiar faces as Sirius began launching into an impossible tale of his summer adventures, which Dean barely believed but still found amusing. He finally spotted Lisa and waved her over, smacking Remus gently and urging him to make some room. 

** _Castiel_ **

Castiel sauntered into the Great Hall; he’d been through this five times already, and nothing really changed. It was annoying, everyone was screaming and talking as if they hadn’t seen each other just a couple of months ago. Honestly, most of them probably saw each other over the summer too. He scanned the room, left to right, just like always, his eyes drifting over each house.

The Gryffindors, the courageous and brave; the red and gold. Castiel didn’t  _ hate _ Gryffindors, he just hated how their cockiness and egotistical ways often led to recklessness, and it was usually all bad news from there. His eyes drifted to the left, landing on the Ravenclaw table. Honestly, he was a little upset when he wasn’t sorted there.  _ Intelligence, wit, wisdom, originality… I possess all those traits. Why wasn’t I chosen?  _ He suddenly became annoyed from staring at the sea of blue and silver and shook his head slightly, turning to the Slytherins. He’s never had a problem with the Slytherins he just- actually, that would be a lie. The Slytherins were the exact opposite of him, and he couldn’t stand being with them for more than 30 seconds at a time. “Literal snakes,” he mumbled to himself, and that was true. They were known for being ambitious, cunning and for doing whatever it took to get their way. He began to develop a headache from all of the ill feelings the Slytherins brought up _ , _ so he finally turned towards his house.

He maneuvered his way through the Great Hall, and eventually reached the Hufflepuff table. He’d sat in the same spot for five years, now: three chairs in from the top right corner. His eyebrows raised when he realized that seat was occupied, but before he could get a word out, Justin Finch-Fletchley quickly got up and moved to the other side of the table.

Newt Scamander raised his head but didn’t quite make eye contact, and frowned slightly. “I believe you scared him, Castiel. We were talking about a niffler infestation he thinks he has. I was looking forward to finding out.” A small, spindly  _ stick _ crawled its way up Newt’s arm and perched on his shoulder. 

Castiel sat down and shrugged once, looking at Newt. “I didn’t mean too, I didn’t even say anything. Why do you have a pet stick?” 

Newt looked briefly offended. “He’s a bowtruckle. His name is Groot, and he has feelings, you know.” Castiel watched as the stick crossed its arms. 

“Is it… frowning at me?” Castiel squinted at it, and it scurried behind Newt and disappeared.

“I tried to tell you. He’s sensitive, and he doesn’t appreciate being compared to foliage.” 

He and Newt quickly got into a conversation about their summers and whether or not they were excited to be back. When Castiel was on the train, sure, he’d felt excited. He’d be away from home, have his own freedom…  _ excited _ might have actually been an understatement, but just as it did every year, that excitement faded as the train sped closer and closer to Hogwarts and the feeling was overtaken by fear. Thoughts of the train lead to thoughts of that boy he bumped into, and he furrowed his eyebrows. As he replayed the memory, the boy was the one who had been looking down at the ground when they’d run into each other, not him. Who gave that guy the right to be so… rude? Blunt?

“Don’t you think so?” Newt asked, drawing Castiel from his thoughts and bringing his mind back to the _ obnoxiously  _ loud hall.

“Pardon?” Castiel squinted, looking back at Newt. “I sort of zoned out.”

“Were you thinking about The Choosing?” Newt pushed, sitting up straighter in his chair. “That’s all that’s been on my mind all day.”

The girl sitting beside Castiel perked up, her eyebrows raised. “We’re talking about The Choosing?”

Castiel jumped because he didn’t remember her sitting down, but rolled his eyes discreetly, because  _ no, he hadn’t been thinking or speaking about The Choosing.  _ “You do realize that we  _ are _ allowed to think and talk about other things, right?”

The girl grinned. “I’m Charlie Bradbury, I don’t know if we’ve ever officially met.”

Castiel remembered seeing her around the school last year and nodded. “You’re in year five, correct? I’m-”

“Castiel Novak, year six,” she jumped in, speaking for him. “I know.”

He wanted to question it, but honestly, he didn’t care that much. This day had been enough of a headache; he didn’t need to know how some bubbly, red-haired fifth year knew who he was. His eyes drifted out over the room, and of course they landed on Dean Winchester and his stupid face. He shook his head, about to explain the train incident to Newt, but he never got the chance.

**_Dean_ **

Dean looked up towards the long table that ran perpendicular to the House tables, and held up a hand to stop Lisa mid-sentence. Professor Shurley, Hogwarts’ Headmaster, was standing at his seat. He looked out over the students and the first years that were gathered near the stool that held the Sorting Hat, and raised his arms to call attention to himself.

His voice echoed around them, amplified by magic. “Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts, everyone! It’s nice to see that at least  _ most  _ of you made it back in one piece.” Professor Shurley’s eyes fell towards the Ravenclaw table, where Dean recognized Jo Harvelle’s younger brother Ash was blushing furiously under Shurley’s gaze, both of his eyebrows singed clean off. He looked back, leaning around Lisa and Remus and trying to get Jo’s attention, but she had her face buried in her hands. He chuckled at the embarrassed groan she was letting out, and turned his attention back to the Headmaster.

Professor Shurley continued, a smile playing across his face. “Let us hope that’s the worst injury Mr. Harvelle sees this year.” His face turned more solemn and Dean’s stomach dropped, because honestly, that wasn’t a very funny joke given the circumstances. “As you all know, the Choosing will be held 30 days from now. On that night, you will all return to your common rooms after your classes are over, and your Heads of Houses will escort the eligible 5th years and above down here to the Great Hall.” Dean scoffed, louder than he intended to.  _ Eligible? That’s what they’re callin’ it these days?  _ He missed most of what Professor Shurley said after that, because his thoughts were once again focused on the Choosing, and what would happen to his little brother if Dean’s name  _ was _ called.

He felt Lisa nudge him and he snapped his head up, seeing that Professor Shurley had

taken his seat again. He watched as a stupidly tall, pointed witch’s hat bobbed its way through the crowd of first years, and the form of Professor McGonagall appeared next to the Sorting Hat, parchment in hand. She stared expectantly at the hat, which began to sing.

_ Hogwarts worked in harmony _

_ For several happy years, _

_ But then discord crept among us _

_ Feeding on our faults and fears. _

_ And for a while it seemed the school _

_ Must meet an early end. _

_ What with duelling and with fighting _

_ And the clash of friend on friend.  _

_ And now the Sorting Hat is here _

_ And you all know the score: _

_ I sort you into Houses _

_ Because that is what I'm for. _

_ But this year I'll go further, _

_ Listen closely to my song: _

_ Though condemned I am to split you _

_ Still I worry that it's wrong, _

_ Oh, know the perils, read the signs, _

_ The warning history shows, _

_ For our Hogwarts is in danger _

_ From external, deadly foes. _

_ And we must unite inside her _

_ Or we'll crumble from within _

_ I have told you, I have warned you... _

_ Let the Sorting now begin. _

An unsettled silence spread throughout the hall. Dean had remembered the Sorting Hat’s songs being silly and lighthearted, not menacing warnings about danger. Sure, they were in danger, and from plenty of sources. But it had been like that for years now.  _ What’s different now? What’s different thi-- _ Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and unrolled the parchment in her hands. “Now, when I call your name, you will step forward, place the Sorting Hat upon your head, and be sorted into your houses. While you are here, your house will be something like your family.” She paused, seemingly for dramatic effect, and then began reading the list of names.

Dean paid exactly as much attention to the Sorting Ceremony as he does every year -- that is to say, absolutely none at all. He was vaguely aware of the different tables erupting in cheers and applause when someone was sorted into their house, but now his eyes were back on Lisa. He grinned at her and took her hand under the table. “First night back, you gonna stay up late with me?” Lisa fake yawned in response, but was unable to hide her answering smile. “I don’t know, Dean, you’ve been a buzzkill all day. Are you going to lighten up?”

He kissed her quickly, then shrugged, a faint smirk playing across his lips. “I guess that depends on how nice you are to me.” Lisa’s response, undoubtedly sarcastic, was lost to Dean’s ears as the people around him started yelling and screaming like they’d just won the lottery. He frowned, still seated as every other student at the Gryffindor table was on their feet, greeting their newest housemate.

** _Castiel_ **

Castiel was paying as much attention to the sorting as he usually did… next to nothing. He really only tuned back in when the Gryffindors, of all houses, received a new member because they were so loud. Charlie had moved down the table a few seats when she noticed one of her friends. The spot next to Castiel had been vacant for a while, before a brunette girl sat down beside him. He didn’t turn to her right away, he kept his eyes on the sorting ceremony as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, which it definitely was not.

“Hey, Castiel!” the girl grinned, looking over at him with her bright blue eyes.

Cass let out a quiet, deep breath and turned his head toward her slowly. “Hello, Hael. How are you?” Hael Vetter was a sixth year Hufflepuff right alongside Castiel.

He felt his headache increase as she began talking about her summer  _ way _ faster than Castiel’s poor brain could comprehend. When he thought about Hael Vetter, he thought about all the times she had tried to get with him and how many creative ways he had to come with to shut her down politely and respectfully. She  _ was _ really pretty and at most times he did enjoy her company, he just wasn’t interested in pursuing a relationship with her.

“So, how about you? How was your summer? Did you find a girlfriend yet?” Hael rambled, leaning on the table with her arms. 

A few seats down, an older student named Raphael scoffed. “The day Castiel Novak finds a girlfriend is the day I sprout a shrivelfig from my ear.” 

“It was fine, and no,” Castiel answered Hael simply. “I didn’t do anything special, really.”

She smiled slightly and touched his arm gently, glaring at Raphael but following Castiel’s lead in ignoring him. “Are you feeling alright?”

He tilted his head, squinting at her. “Why do you ask? I’m fine. It’s just been a long day, that’s all.”

She nodded once. “Think about it this way, we only have-,” she was cut off by the abrupt and unnecessarily loud cheering as a first year girl was sorted into Gryffindor. She cleared her throat and spoke again, “As I was saying, we only have one year left. Which means we only have one more of these,” she lowered her voice “ _ stupid _ sorting ceremonies.”

He rubbed at his eyes with his palms, nodding as he did. “I know, Hael.’

“Would you like to go for a walk to get some air?” she offered, a look of sympathy on her face, rubbing his arm.

_ I’d like to go for a walk, but without you.  _ “Actually, yes, I would, but you can stay here,” he slid out of his chair and smiled slightly. “I’ll be back, okay? Pay attention to the sorting ceremony, I want to know all the details later.”

She looked up at him, biting her lip gently. “Alright, Castiel. I hope you feel better.”

He smiled sincerely and then turned, leaving the Great Hall quickly.

**_Dean_ **

Dean was repeatedly trying to pull Lisa’s attention back to him, but it had become so loud in the aftermath of the Sorting Ceremony that he had given up almost entirely. He stared longingly at the empty plates in front of them, and almost as if on cue, they filled with food. He grinned widely at the spread, hardly believing all the choices they had, despite the fact that he has now attended several feasts here. He craned his neck to look at all of the choices, seeing things like [ roast beef ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Roast_beef) , [ roast chicken ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Roast_chicken) , [ pork chops ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Pork_chops) , [ lamb chops ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Lamb_chop) , [ sausages ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Sausage) , [ bacon ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Bacon) , [ steak ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Steak) , [ steak and kidney pie ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Steak_and_kidney_pie) , boiled [ potatoes ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Potato) , roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, [ chips ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Chips) , Yorkshire pudding, [ peas ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Pea) , [ carrots ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Carrot) , [ gravy ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Gravy) , and [ peppermint humbugs ](https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Mint_humbug) . He helped himself to a generous portion of bacon, roasted potatoes and steak, waiting patiently for his pumpkin juice to fill on its own. When it did, he took a drink and then dug into his food. He was halfway through his third piece of bacon when Lisa tugged on his arm and leaned in close so he could hear her. “If you come with me right now, there’s a good chance I’ll be  _ really  _ nice to you.”

Her breath ghosting over his skin as she spoke was the only motivation he needed. He slid a couple of pieces of bacon into the pocket of his robe and followed Lisa out of the Great Hall. He turned, walking backwards and keeping his eyes locked on Lisa’s. “So, where we headed, sunshine? I bet if we made it back to the common room before everyone else, we could bribe the Fat Lady into stalling for us. All we’d need to do is promise her a small audience for the next Portrait Opera she decides to perform.” He continued his backward stroll towards the stairs, and added, “What do ya say? You, me, curled up in one of those big fluffy chairs you like so much, maybe a little fireplace action.” He leaned in to kiss her, and she returned it with a quiet little noise that made the hairs on his arms stand up. He backed up a little quicker, expecting to hit the staircase any second now. It wasn’t the staircase that Dean ran into, however, unless staircases learned how to grunt.

**_Castiel_ **

All Castiel wanted to do was go for a walk. He wanted to walk the halls of Hogwarts alone and be left alone with his headache and his thoughts, but of course, it was never that easy. He rounded the corner to head to the staircase, but he never made it, as he was ran into,  _ again. _ His hand instantly went to his nose as he grunted, narrowing his eyes as he turned to see who he bumped into.

Cass blinked his eyes, focusing on who was in front of him. “You  _ seriously _ need to watch where you’re going, Gryffindor.”

Dean turned away from Lisa and frowned slightly when he saw Castiel. “Again, huh? You need glasses or somethin, buddy?”

He shook his head, but then shrugged once. “You were the one who was in such a hurry. Where’s the fi-,” his eyes shifted to the girl he was with before he clears his throat. “ _ Oh _ . I understand now. The uh- there’s an empty classroom beside the statue of the one-eyed-witch, just down the hall.”

Dean eyed him quizzically for a moment. “Dude, everyone’s still eatin’ dinner. We’re probably just gonna go back to our common room, but uhh… I appreciate your concern.”

Lisa took this moment to look between them and then turn to Castiel. “Hi, I’m Lisa Braeden. Gryffindor fifth year, like Dean.”

Castiel tilted his head at Lisa, his eyebrow raised. “Hi, there. I’m Castiel Novak, sixth year Hufflepuff.”

Dean fake snored loudly, closing his eyes and letting his head drop before jerking it upwards and pretending to wake up again. “Oh, shit, sorry. Did I miss somethin?” That earned him an elbow to the ribs by Lisa, but he grinned and put his arm around her.

Castiel let his eyes scan the position Dean and Lisa were stood in, and he realized it probably looked as if he were checking Lisa out. That must have been what it looked like to Dean as well, because he cut in, “Yo, my eyes are over here,  _ not _ on my girlfriend.” Castiel averted his eyes to down the hallway, before looking back at the pair. “Are we finished here?”

Dean frowned slightly, using the arm he had around Lisa to pull her with him as he walked around Castiel and started climbing the stairs. He called over his shoulder, “Try not to run into me a third time, Cass. I might start gettin’ the wrong idea.”

“It’s Castiel, Winchester.” He sighed heavily, rolling his eyes.

“Dude, when you say it like that, it sounds like we’re married.”

“It sounds like-,” he paused and shook his head slightly. “It didn’t, not really. Punctuation, Dean, there was a comma in there.”

“Whatever you say,  _ Cass. _ Go eat some dinner, sounds like you could use a couple hundred Snickers.” He continued up the stairs with Lisa and disappeared out of sight.

Castiel wanted to shout something back, but he convinced himself to be the bigger person. That, and the fact that he couldn’t come up with a comeback. He let out a breath of frustration and headed the opposite direction of the Great Hall, his headache sufficiently a migraine now.


	3. Welcome to the Working Week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where we see the good and bad of Hogwarts classes, and you guys indulge me while I enjoy the first few innocent chapters of this gut punch of a fic.

**_Dean_ **

It only took Dean a few days to get back into the swing of things at Hogwarts. Overall, not much had changed from his previous years; he was still horrible at Potions and History of Magic, and excelled in Defense Against the Dark Arts -- _Right, I’m a fifth-year. I guess it’s just the Dark Arts now._ He thought he’d do pretty well in Charms and Transfiguration again, not well enough to write home about, but definitely passing. Of course, Dean wouldn’t be writing home about much of anything this year, neither him nor Sam had received even so much as a tissue from home so far. It had only been two weeks, but he knew this was a trend he should get used to. He felt worse for Sam, because he knew that his little brother cared a lot more than he let on. 

He double-checked his course schedule for that afternoon and sighed, he had Transfiguration with the Slytherins, and that was never something he looked forward to. He made his way out of the castle and headed towards the courtyard that would lead him to the Transfiguration classroom. He kept his eyes peeled for his best friends, Sirius and James, but all he found were a couple of Slytherins making their way towards the same classroom. He recognized two of them - Jack Morningstar and a girl named Glimmer. The third person they were with didn’t look familiar at all, but that wasn’t saying a whole lot; Dean didn’t spend a lot of time paying attention to snakes. He lowered his head and kept walking, heading towards the west side of the courtyard. He let out a sigh of relief when he heard Sirius and James arguing loudly up ahead. 

“You’re so dumb you thought Quaffles needed syrup!” James bellowed with a laugh, poking Sirius in the chest. Dean shook his head and walked quicker, a grin spreading across his face.

“Tell me, James, when you encounter a Boggart, does it turn into a mirror, or just your mum?” Sirius ducked quickly, expecting James to take a swing at him. No such violence ensued, however, because James was gaping at him. His face went from shock to offended amusement, and he barely missed a beat before continuing their game of insults.

“That’s clever, coming from you! And here I was thinking they named Platform 9 ¾ after your IQ.” James puffed his chest out, sort of proud of that one. Dean closed the distance and interrupted loudly.

“Alright, you two, knock it off, it’s time for class.” 

Sirius and James both turned to look at him at once, each one firing off an insult. James’s came first, with Sirius’ right on it’s heels. 

“I’ve met Flobberworms more interesting than you.” 

“I bet if you looked a Basilisk in the eye, _it_ would die.” 

Dean blinked, glancing between them. “Son of a bitch, I guess my Flesh-Eating Slug Repellant doesn’t work. You think they give refunds?” 

James caught onto the insult first, rolling his eyes with a half-smirk and turning to head into the classroom. It took Sirius just a moment longer to realize what Dean had just compared him to, but when he did, he grabbed Dean by the back of the neck and put him in a headlock. Sirius dug the knuckles of his other hand roughly onto the top of Dean’s head, while Dean squirmed and tried to break out of his grip. “Jesus, Sirius, c’mon, man! Hands off the merch.” He managed to get himself free, and he smacked Sirius’ arm before grinning widely and walking into the room. 

He took his usual seat and pulled his Transfiguration book out of his bag, setting it down with a thump. He slid his wand out from its resting place in his robes, and eyed it fondly. 12 ½ inches long, rigid, and made of cypress wood. When he had gone to Ollivander’s before his first year at school, he had tried out a variety of different wands. Some responded to him pretty well, others not at all. But this one… this one was special. He could feel it the second the old wizard slid it into his hand. It was the feeling of coming home after a long trip, a kind of warm comfort that still wove it’s way through his body when he used the wand, even now. Mr. Ollivander had seemed delighted at his choice, and had told him he sold a similar wand just the year prior. Different wood, sure, but the unicorn that supplied the hair for Dean’s cypress wand also gave another hair. From what Ollivander had told him, the twin wand was made of willow. Dean hadn’t paid much attention after that; he knew that having twin cores was rare and would have some cool properties if he ever found it, but the chances of that were slim. He hadn’t thought to ask who bought the wand, and couldn’t very well go back and ask him now. 

He was broken out of his memory by the sound of Professor McGonagall. “ _Geminio,”_ she began, “is one of the few charms that you will be learning in my class. There has been some debate on whether it falls under Charms or Transfiguration, but Professor Trinket and I _agreed_ ,” she had pursed her lips here, suggesting it wasn’t much of an agreement, but rather an argument she regretted losing, “that it would be best if I taught you.” Professor Effie Trinket was one of the weirdest witches that Dean had ever met. Where most witches and wizards opted for dark, dull clothing to make it easier to blend in, Professor Trinket made it a point to stand out. Bizarre costumes, brightly coloured makeup splotched all over her face. He was sure she had to be a metamorphmagus; there was no way she could dye her hair like that every day. Each time he saw her it was a different shade of insane. 

Yet again, Professor McGonagall’s voice pulled him back to the present. “... doubling charm. It will make an exact replica of any object when done properly.” She took this moment to demonstrate the wand movement, a simple flick of the wrist, and said the word _geminio_ again. An exact, perfect replica of the apple on her desk appeared next to it. She turned to face the class again. “However, the duplicates are entirely worthless as they will decay over time, so I wouldn’t be getting any ideas about the trophy room if I were you, Mr. Black.” Her cat-like eyes fell on Sirius, who donned the least-convincing expression of innocence that Dean had ever seen. He snorted, looking back at Professor McGonagall. To her credit, she offered Sirius a tiny smile before releasing them to try the spell on their own. 

They’d be working alone for this lesson, which suited Dean just fine. It wasn’t that he didn’t like working in a group, he just knew he did better on his own, when fewer people were paying attention. He frowned slightly at the book he was supposed to be duplicating, thinking that it might have been easier if they’d started with something less detailed. He shrugged to himself and pointed his wand at the book, _Supernatural,_ and attempted the spell. 

“ _Geminio!”_ he said confidently, flicking his wrist they way she had indicated. Next to _Supernatural,_ another book appeared. He grinned to himself, the covers matched exactly. Had he really done it the first time? It had been 2 years since he’d been able to do that, and this was O.W.L. level magic. He flipped open the duplicate book and groaned. It was blank. _Of course it’s blank, you idiot. You weren’t even thinking about the inside._ He heard several other noises of disappointment around him, which made him feel a little better. He cleared his throat and tried again. 

“ _Geminio!”_ This time, as he flicked his wrist and said the word, he focused on the entirety of the book instead of just on what he could see. Again, another book appeared. He could tell immediately that he hadn’t done it correctly, because now the title read _Unnatural._ He huffed, but opened the book anyway. It had words this time, which he supposed was a step in the right direction. Or, word, he should say, because written on every page, over and over again, was the word _“idjit.”_ He shut the book quickly and tossed it on top of the other failed attempt. He glanced around the room and saw that a couple of people seemed to have gotten it correct already, which made him more determined to do this right. 

It took 3 more unsuccessful attempts before he was finally able to create a perfect duplicate of the book. He may not have been the first one to succeed, but he certainly wasn’t the last one, either. To his satisfaction, he saw the group of Slytherins that had followed him to the classroom were huddled together, poking their wands at a steaming pile of ashes. _At least I didn’t set mine on friggen fire._

He continued to practice, getting the spell right more often that not. He had a stack of 15 perfect replicas of _Supernatural_ on his desk by the time Professor McGonagall announced that they’d done enough for today. He had hoped to get out of there without homework, but was sorely disappointed when she assigned as essay on what possible applications the Doubling Charm could have in real life. He gathered his things and walked with Sirius and James back out to the courtyard. It didn’t take long before the two of them resumed their battle of insults. 

“There should be an entire ward at St. Mungo’s dedicated to whatever’s wrong with you,” Sirius began. 

James raised a hand to his ear, “what? Sorry, didn’t hear you… I don’t speak Troll.” Sirius tackled James and the two began wrestling in the grass. Dean chuckled and hung back to watch. They did this a lot, and Dean wasn’t necessarily worried, but the two did have the tendency to take things too far. He had lost count a long time ago of how many times the three of them had made trips to the Hospital Wing because of these little wrestling matches. 

Dean heard the occasional _oomph,_ or _aahh!_ come out of the pile of swinging limbs, and he leaned against one of the pillars on the edge of the courtyard, crossing his arms. 

Remus Lupin came to stand beside Dean. Remus might have been smaller than Dean, but there was something about him that gave Dean the creeps. He was a nice enough kid, and he hung around a lot because of Sirius and James, but Dean usually made it a point not to get overly friendly with him. “You really shouldn’t encourage them, Dean. They’re bad enough as it is.” 

Dean’s eyebrows shot up as he looked down at Remus. “Encourage? Encourage _who?_ Those two don’t even know I’m here. Watch.” He moved his eyes to the blur of teenage bodies still tussling on the grass and said loudly, “Hey, guys, it’s Dean! You should probably quit killin’ each other now.” Neither James nor Sirius gave any indication that they heard him, so he turned back to Remus with a look that said _‘I told you so’._

Eager to put some distance between himself and Remus, he jerked his head towards his still-squabbling best friends. “They’re all yours, Reem. See you guys at dinner.” He slung his bag over his shoulder and turned, taking off at a jog back toward the castle. 

**_Castiel_ **

It was time for Castiel’s first Dark Arts lesson of the year. He glanced at his course schedule and rolled his eyes when he saw he’d be with the Gryffindors this year. He didn’t know many of them, but the ones he did know, he didn’t care for. The whole lot of them were loud and boisterous, and some of them - Dean Winchester’s name might have crossed his mind - were downright rude. 

He made his way slowly to the third-floor corridor. He passed a group of younger Ravenclaw students laughing together as they walked, and he felt a surge of jealousy. They’d still be taking Defense Against the Dark Arts. As it turned out, Voldemort cared very little what happened to students here before they reached a certain age. But once a student reached their fifth year, the curriculum changed and their lessons became… _darker._ He cringed internally as he climbed the final few steps and rounded the corner. There was already a crowd of students outside of the door, but Castiel couldn’t tell why none of them were going in. He pushed his way to the front and checked the door, which was locked. 

“Yeah, funnily enough we’d tried that one already.” Castiel turned his head toward the speaker, and was surprised when he saw Lisa Braeden, arms crossed and looking harassed. He turned his attention back towards the door, choosing not to respond. 

“ _Alohamora.”_ He pointed his wand at the lock as he spoke the word, but it didn’t budge. His frown deepened, his willow-and-unicorn-hair wand had never failed him like this. He licked his lip, searching his mind for a different spell to choose.

“Yep, tried that one, too.” Castiel could practically hear her eyes rolling, and he found himself wondering if she picked up that habit from Dean, or if it was Dean that learned it from Lisa. 

Not to be deterred, Castiel tried again. “ _Aberto!”_ Again, nothing happened. His frustration was mounting… he didn’t want to attend this class in the first place, and now it was impossible to get into? He heard someone behind him suggest that they just leave, and Castiel was dangerously close to doing exactly that. 

Just as he made his mind up to turn around and skip a lesson for the first time in his life, Professor Crane appeared at the top of the staircase. Castiel attended his lessons last year as well, but he didn’t think he’d ever quite yet used to the unsettling way Seneca Crane trimmed his beard. It looked ridiculous, as far as Castiel was concerned, and it was horribly distracting. It rose like a wave on the middle of his face and yet, the curves of it somehow sharpened his features. That was a trait he usually enjoyed, but with Professor Crane, it was just off-putting. Maybe it wasn’t the beard at all, maybe it was just the man. 

Professor Crane walked to the door and must have used a non-verbal spell, because Castiel heard the lock click open, but the man didn’t utter a word. Castiel made a mental note to do some more research on non-verbal spells. He knew a handful of them, but none that seemed abundantly useful. 

The group of students filed into the classroom behind Professor Crane and took their seats. When Castiel sat down at the end of a row, the other students seemed to make a point of avoiding the seat directly next to him. This didn’t bother him, until Lisa Braeden was the one that filled the spot. He pointedly ignored her and opened his book. 

Professor Crane scanned the room, and watched as several other students also pulled their books, parchment and quills from their bags and set them on their desks. When the class stilled, he stood with his hands folded behind his back and addressed them. “You can put those away. Today’s lesson won’t be found in _A Standard Book of Spells,_ or any other book you’ll find here at Hogwarts.” He held up a single finger and added, “yet.” He waited once more as everyone put their things away, and then asked for a volunteer. When no one raised their hand or made any indication whatsoever that they’d be willing to volunteer for anything the Professor had in mind, he called on Lisa. Suddenly, her bravado disappeared, and she honestly looked scared. She rose slowly from her seat, her knee knocking against the desk. She didn’t seem to notice if it pained her at all, because she straightened her back and walked down to Professor Crane. Castiel almost admired her for that. He could see the moment that she buried her fear and did what needed to be done. _I guess that’s what makes her a Gryffindor._

“Today, half of you will be practicing delivering a curse, while the other half have the curse administered upon you. Don’t worry, I am on hand should anything go awry.” He turned his eyes and his wand on Lisa, and muttered, “ _Imperio.”_ All at once, Castiel understood. The Imperius Curse. An _Unforgivable_ Curse. Performing this spell on another person was considered an imprisonable offense, surely he couldn’t be serious. Not even Professor Crane, with his strange beard and hollow eyes could be serious about _this._ But as he watched Lisa’s features go slack and her body relax, he knew the Professor was as serious as it gets. 

“What should we make her do? Recite her diary?” Professor Crane flicked his wand in her direction, and she began reciting what indeed sounded like a diary entry about her boyfriend. “Make her do a flip?” He flicked his wand again, and Lisa Braeden did a full backflip and landed perfectly on her feet. “Or perhaps something more useful?” He flicked his wand once more, and Lisa grabbed a large, heavy-looking paperweight from the Professor’s desk and walked toward her best friend. She raised the paperweight above her head and prepared to swing as her friend cowered. Castiel stood up, unable to watch such a thing. He knew that Seneca Crane and the sort of wizards he represents only understood one thing: blood status. He had no idea who the girl was that Lisa was about to murder in front of them, but he spoke as if he did. “That girl is a pureblood, from a family arguably older than _yours._ Leave her be, leave them _both_ be.” His eyes widened slightly as he realized that he’d actually done it, he’d actually stood up and said those things aloud. He noticed every pair of eyes in the room was trained on his face, but he set his jaw and stood his ground. Of course, a vast majority of the students in the room misunderstood his intention, but Castiel didn’t know that. 

Professor Crane sneered at Castiel, and then released Lisa from the Imperius Curse just in time. Both student and teacher watched as Lisa seemed to come out of a fog, dropping the paperweight on the ground. She looked like she was in shock, glancing back and forth between the paperweight and her terrified, crying friend. 

Castiel was sick to his stomach, but he kept his face as neutral as possible. He was too smart to think this was anywhere near over. Professor Crane seemed to take Castiel’s air of indifference as a sign that they were of a same mind, which… they definitely were not. He called Castiel to the front to take Lisa’s place as she sat back down in a trembling heap. 

He braced himself to have an Unforgivable Curse hurled at him, but it didn’t come. Instead, he was told to pick another student. Castiel scanned the room, looking for anyone that didn’t appear terrified. He came up short, as every single face in the room mirrored how he actually felt, despite his unwillingness to let his expression betray that. He chose Newt Scamander, a fellow 6th year Hufflepuff whom Castiel thought might be able to handle whatever was about to be thrown at him. 

Newt nodded to Castiel, a silent acknowledgment that he knew this wasn’t personal. He stood and made his way down to Professor Crane and Castiel, and stood silently. 

Professor Crane looked between them with an eyebrow raised. “One of you will need to perform the curse on the other one. I don’t think I need to make all of your decisions for you, but if one of you doesn’t take the initiative… I’m sure the rest of the class would enjoy watching your reactions to a _different_ Unforgivable Curse.” 

_Bastard. Evil, twisted, bastard._ Castiel forced his eyes to meet Newt’s, who looked frozen. There were only three Unforgivable Curses, and by all counts, the Imperius Curse was the most mild. _If Professor Crane was threatening to use one of the others…_ He shuddered at the thought. Torture or death would be their options if he and Newt failed to do this. He spent a moment longer trying to plead silently with Newt, but it was clear the boy wasn’t getting the hint. Castiel knew that trying to cast an Unforgivable Curse when you don’t _really_ mean it could be dangerous, so he focused his mind on one thing: control Newt Scamander to help him calm down. He let that singular goal engulf him as he pointed his wand at his friend, and said, “ _Imperio.”_

When Castiel made it back to the Hufflepuff common room that night, he was spent. He didn’t stop to talk to anyone on his way to the boys dorms, which meant he didn’t notice the way that every single one of them pointedly ignored him. He didn’t notice the way that Newt flattened himself against the wall as Castiel passed him, or the way that Charlie Bradbury dropped the plant she was moving, shattering the pot it was in. All he knew was how badly he needed to get some sleep, some peace and quiet. He pulled off his robe and kicked off his shoes, but couldn’t be bothered to change into his pajamas. He collapsed onto his four-poster bed, curling in on himself.

Exhaustion tugged at his bones and he truly didn’t know if he’d ever felt so low. Professor Crane hadn’t stopped with Newt. When he realized that Castiel had not only the magical ability to cast such a curse, but also apparently the _will_ to, he had forced him to repeat the process on 4 other students. 5 times. He had cast an Unforgivable Curse 5 times, and he had hated every one of them. _At least I was able to control it. I used it to calm them, not to make them hurt themselves or others. No one did anything embarrassing or dangerous while I was in control of them. I helped them get through that lesson. I helped them. I helped._ He repeated that phrase in his mind until he finally, mercifully, fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday! See you soon :)


	4. Us and Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Choosing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have a chapter longer than most fics.

** _Dean:_ **

Dean woke up on the morning of October 1st with a sense of fear that he hasn’t known since he was a child. The last time he felt like this, his mom had just looked him in the face and said, “Your dad’s on a hunting trip, and he hasn’t been home in a few days.” Him and Sam were shipped off to their Grandpa Henry’s, and he didn’t end up seeing either one of his parents for almost a month. This felt pretty similar to that. Like at any moment, he could be ripped from his family and never see them again. It was a very real possibility. He had officially hit the trifecta - Muggle Born, a Gryffindor, and a 5th year, which meant his name would be dropped into the Goblet of Fire for consideration at the Choosing. He’d heard stories that the Goblet was once used for something called the Triwizard Tournament, but that hadn’t been held in decades. If Dean was being honest with himself, he’d have loved to try and win that. He’d have begged the Goblet to choose his name for the Tournament, but this? This is a death sentence no matter what happens. If you win, you become part of Voldemort’s little death squad, and if you lose, you die. Neither of those sounded like appealing options to him, because neither one of them involved ever seeing his family again. Sure, he and his dad had hit their rough patches over the years, but they were still family. The thought of never seeing his dad again, or his mom, or his brother Sammy filled him with dread and made it almost impossible for him to go about his day with any semblance of normalcy.

But somehow, he did. He was already accustomed to not paying attention in History of Magic, so when we walked out of Professor Amara’s stuffy classroom that afternoon without having taken a single note or retaining a single word she said, it wasn’t out of the ordinary. He found Lisa as she was coming out of her Divination lesson, and she looked  _ cheerful.  _ Dean couldn’t believe it.  _ Maybe she forgot what day it is? How could she forget? It’s the only damn thing I’ve been able to think about for months.  _ He his eyebrows were pinched together as he looked at her, “What the hell are you guys smokin’ up there? Can I get some?”

Lisa just beamed at him. “Don’t worry about it, Dean. The Choosing, I mean. You’re not going to get picked, and neither am I. I’ve seen it.”

How she could say that like it was the most normal thing on the planet was beyond Dean, but he was aware that Seers existed. He just never got the impression that his girlfriend was one of them. “What do you mean you saw it? That’s insane.” She just shook her head, then laughed. Actually  _ laughed,  _ on the day of the Choosing.  _ That’s it, my girlfriend lost her damn mind. Took a swan dive off the deep end. Perfect, that’s just what I needed right now.  _ He shrugged it off and decided to play along, because if nothing else… he desperately needed a distraction from the thought that his own name was going to come sputtering out of the blue flame of the Goblet and announce the end for him. “Okay then, who is it? Who’s the Gryffindor fifth year that gets picked?”

Her smile didn’t fade as she said, “Neville Longbottom.” Dean was temporarily taken aback by this, because he thought that Neville was a pureblood. Then he remembered that his girlfriend wasn’t actually a Seer, and probably just misinterpreted a cluster of randomly placed tea leaves. “Listen, sunshine, I hate to burst your bubble here, but you’re wrong. Neville ain’t muggle born, and he ain’t a magical creature. His name won’t even make it in the Goblet of Fire to be chosen.” She simply shook her head, the smile remaining right where it has been since she descended those attic stairs from the Divination room. “I don’t know how, Dean, but I’m telling you I  _ saw  _ it. He’s the fifth year, we’re safe.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, and he did his best to return it.

“C’mon, Lis. We gotta get back to the common room, Professor Mills will be comin’ to get us in like 20 minutes.” He grabbed her hand and took her back to the common room, half-heartedly muttering the entry password, “Colt,” to the Fat Lady. Moving portraits was something that still startled Dean despite his years at the castle, which was full of them. She nodded to them from her portrait and swung open, letting them inside.

Dean could feel the tension in the room the second the portrait swung closed behind him and Lisa. Usually, the Gryffindor Common Room was a place of fun, laughter, and shenanigans. Today, every face he saw looked solemn. His eyes swept the room, making a mental note of all the friends that he’s made over the last four plus years, and also noting that Neville Longbottom was  _ not  _ one of the students spread throughout the room in varying degrees of distress. He swallowed, sitting down in one of the empty seats and pulling Lisa down onto his lap. He didn’t want to admit it, but a part of him had hoped Lisa had been right. It seemed fair, didn’t it? That after years of muggle borns, vampires, werewolves and the like getting chosen for this, that a pureblood would finally know what it was like? He let out a slow breath, and thought about trying to make conversation to pass the time. As he chanced another look around the room, it became clear to him that the only one in the mood for any kind of talking was Lisa. And as glad as he was that she was able to go into this with a light heart, he didn’t want to talk about the impossibility of Neville Longbottom being chosen instead of him for another second. Hope was something he couldn’t afford; something he could  _ never _ afford.

It seemed like an eternity passed before their Head of House, Professor Mills walked through the portrait of the Fat Lady and addressed them all. She looked haggard, like she’d been awake for several days and put through some serious trouble during it. “I have news, and not good news. It has been decided that this year, we will be entering more than just the muggle-borns and creatures into the Choosing.” She put her finger to her mouth and whistled the beginning notes of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” which was our own personal Gryffindor pager. Soon enough, students started trickling in from their dorms, causing the common room to become almost unbearably stuffy. Professor Mills pressed on quickly - it almost seemed to Dean like she was trying to convince herself that this news was like removing a band-aid, best to be handled quickly and without mercy. “Any witch, wizard or creature shown to have less than average magical abilities will be entered this evening as well, regardless of blood status.” The silence that met that statement was deafening, but it was nothing compared to what happened after the first student dared to whisper to another. It started as a low hum, confused voices traded back and forth in the dim light from the fire. A couple of older purebloods cried, quietly at first, but getting louder as the voices around them did.

Dean just sat, as quietly as ever. Lisa turned on his lap to face him, trying to keep a solemn expression for the sake of everyone else in the room. “I told you, Dean. You’re safe. I’m safe. Sirius is safe. So are Remus, and James and Peter. And Sammy; Sammy’s still going to have his big brother. It  _ isn’t  _ going to be you.”

From the corner of his eye, he could see all the colour had drained from Neville’s face. He still wasn’t sure he believed Lisa, he’d never put much stock in Divination, but he pointedly looked away from Neville just in case. His heart rate slowed down as he realized that it didn’t matter if Neville was chosen specifically, because with the new rule, the victim pool just got a lot bigger. He stood up after Lisa removed herself from his lap and paced, biting the skin around his thumb. It seemed like Professor Mills was trying to give the purebloods a chance to say goodbye to their friends in case they’re chosen. That’s something Dean himself had refused to do. If his number was up and it was time to go, that was it. And if it wasn’t going to be him, he certainly didn’t want to put himself through the pain of goodbyes just to have to do it all again the following year.

The skin around Dean’s right thumbnail was practically gone by the time Professor Mills led them in a single file line out of the Common Room and into the Great Hall. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. He’d never seen this part before, the fourth years weren’t allowed to attend. No one was, actually, unless your name was going into the Goblet of Fire. He took a seat between Finnick and Lisa, and put his head in his hands. He tried to steady his breathing to stop the oncoming panic attack, but that seemed to be as effective as tea-leaf reading.

**_Castiel:_ **

October 1st was a day Castiel dreaded every year. When he woke up, he didn’t open his eyes. He swung his arm up and over to hit the snooze button on his alarm clock.  _ What if I just… didn’t go? What if I just stayed here in bed, covered myself in the blankets and hid. Would it work?  _ He laughed out loud to himself at how ridiculous he sounded and threw the blankets off of himself, swung his legs off the side of the bed and sat up. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, doing everything in his power to ignore the pit that was engulfing his stomach. He slid out of the bed and opened his wardrobe, his eyes scanning his options for clothing.  _ As if he had much choice. _ He grabbed his house clothes, a polo and some dress slacks, sliding them on. He studied himself in the mirror, eyeing the gold and black on his uniform.

For some reason, right now, Castiel hated the colours gold and black. Today was the day of the Choosing and he could very well end up representing the sixth year Hufflepuffs in The Mudblood Games. Castiel wouldn’t consider himself a dreamer, he couldn’t remember the last time he had a nice dream. It must’ve been before he came to Hogwarts. He didn’t have nightmares either, because in his mind, October 1st  _ was _ a living nightmare. After getting dressed, he fixed his hair and brushed his teeth, headed out to the Hufflepuff common room.

“Castiel!” Hael grinned, greeting him at door. “How was your night? Did you sleep well?”

He squinted slightly but decided to do his best to be positive today. He forced a smile and nodded. “I did, yes. Did you?”

She shrugged a little bit, crossing her arms. “It was okay, I was sad we didn’t get the chance to talk more.”

He frowned, looking at her. “I’m sorry, I left right after the Quidditch game, I had… spells I needed to learn.”

She raised her eyebrow, a small smirk tugged at her lips. “Perhaps one day I can study with you.”

“Hael,” he started, speaking low, “I don’t mean to be a, uh, glass-half-empty kind of guy, but I don’t think today is an appropriate day for that.”

“You’re afraid,” she spoke loudly.

Cass glanced around the common room, hoping no one heard that. He grabbed Hael by the arm and led her out of the common room, into the empty stairwell. He looked to the ground and nodded once. “Listen, Hael, I am scared. I believe everyone is, but I need to keep myself calm and collected so I look as held together as possible, okay?”

Her eyes were a little bit wide, but she nodded. “Yeah, Castiel, okay. You do know you can be afraid, right? No one’s going to think you’re weak or less of a wizard because you have emotions. The Mudblood Games are a scary thing, it could be you or I that gets chosen today. That’s a really scary thought.”

He clenched his fists as she spoke, his heart race increasing. When she mentioned the possibility of being chosen, he exploded. “Enough, Hael!”

She jumped back, crossing her arms over chest and looking to the ground. “I- I’m sorry, Castiel. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Hael,” he let out a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry. It’s just - it’s hard enough to make it through this day without being reminded of what could happen at the end of it. Do you understand?” He opened his eyes in time to see Hael nod.

“Yes, Castiel, I understand,” she breathed out shakily as Castiel wraps his arms around her in a friendly hug.

“How are you doing?” he whispered, pulling back from the hug. He scanned her face, and he immediately knew what the answer was going to be.

“I’m terrified,” she swallowed hard. “I feel like I’m going to break down into tears, I don’t know how you can hide your emotions so well.”

_ Years of practice, that’s how.  _ He nodded, looking at her. “Keep it together anyway. You have to keep it together anyway.”

She closed her eyes. “I’m going to get breakfast, I’ll meet you back in the common room.” With that, she left, and Castiel was alone in the stairwell. In a fit of anger he kicked the wall, because none of this was fair.

He took a moment to compose himself and bury his fear before heading back into the common room. He mingled with a few other Hufflepuffs, assuring them that everything would be okay. Hael returned at some point and she seemed to be feeling better and even joined in on their conversations. Ten minutes later, the room fell silent. Castiel turned to see what happened and why there was a sudden change, before his eyes landed in the doorway.

Professor Hanscum was standing there as she looked out over her Hufflepuffs. “Good morning, everyone!” The room was silent, other than the occasional mumbling of “morning.” Professor Hanscum was usually very cheery. She had a great attitude, she always managed to see the bright side of things. “Can I have everyone down here please?” She motioned to the area in front of her, full of bean bag chairs partially sectioned off from the rest of the room by a line of potted cacti. Her eyes shifted over the sea of gold and black. Many of the students moved down to meet her as Castiel tilted his head and grabbed a chair, standing up on it so he could see over all the others. Professor Hanscum smiled sadly at all of them. “Got some bad news, fellas. This year, the Choosing is fixing to be a little different. It seems like more than just the muggle-borns and magical creatures will be entered into the Choosing.”

Castiel’s stomach sank and he wasn’t even sure why. He swallowed hard and nodded, urging Professor Hanscum to continue. She met Castiel’s eyes and smiled with a look of sympathy, before she spoke. “Any witch, wizard or creature shown to have less than average magical abilities will be entered this evening as well, regardless of blood status.”

_ What the hell? Why? Why change The Mudblood Games now? What does this mean?  _ He realized his hands are slightly shaky so he shoved his hands in his pockets. The room wasn’t so silent when Castiel tuned back in and he realized Professor Hanscum was gone. He stepped off the chair he was standing on, looking around the room. Many people were crying and he didn’t know what to do or feel, because he  _ actually _ felt safe.

Although he may be a half-blood, he was an extremely talented wizard. Charlie made her way up to him, her eyes filled with tears. “I’m a terrible wizard _and_ I’m muggle-born!”

“Hey, you’re going to be okay,” another voice called. Castiel turned to see Garth Fitzgerald approach, who hugged Charlie gently. “I’m a much worse wizard than you, remember when I blew up… well, everything?”

Charlie laughed lightly as Garth wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leading her away from the commotion. Cass noticed Hael duck out of the common room, so he pushed his way through and followed her. “Hael, wait!”

Hael paused and turned back to him. “What is it, Castiel?”

He approached her slowly. “Are you- are you okay?”

She laughed a little bitterly and looked to the ground. “You’re safe tonight, Castiel. There’s no way your name is going to be called.”

“That’s not true, there’s still a-,”

“The slimmest chance ever, Castiel! You’re a stupidly talented wizard, there’s no way they’re sending you to the Games.”

“You’re going to be safe too, Hael,” he breathed out, scanning her face and her shaky body. “I promise you.”

Her face fell. “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep _. _ I’m gonna go. I’ll see you down there.”

He watched her turn and head down the hallway again as he tilted his head up to look at the ceiling. In this very moment, he knew what he had to do.  _ If Hael Vetter is called, I’m going to volunteer.  _ He took a moment and then re-entered the common room, finding a couch in the back that was empty.

And sure enough, Professor Hanscum returned 15 minutes later. She watched and waited as they formed a single file line, before she led them to the Great Hall. Castiel realized there was someone in his usual seat, but he didn’t care. Not today, at least.

He slid into the seat between Justin Flinch-Fletchley and Newt Scamander, whose bowtruckle Groot was peeking out of his robes. Castiel almost smiled at it, but his eyes shifted to the scene in front of him. There wasn’t much on the platform that usually held the Professor’s table at feasts, just a few chairs and a small table where the Goblet of Fire was placed. He turned to the door, watching the Slytherins file in and he shook his head slightly.

“Are you nervous?” Justin spoke low, leaning towards Castiel but not taking his eyes off the stage.

Castiel was getting  _ really _ tired of being asked that question. “No.”

“Are you sure?” Newt leaned over, adding his two cents.

“Yes,” Castiel replied, sitting forward in his chair to avoid how close Newt and Justin’s faces were to his own. “We’re all going to be fine.”

“You don’t know that,” Hael called from beside Newt. “Just because  _ you’re _ guaranteed safe, doesn’t mean the rest of us are.”

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes, falling silent. No one was safe, the Goblet didn’t spare people because they were good at magic. On the contrary, last year some of the brightest witches and wizards were chosen. His eyes landed on the door again as the Gryffindors entered. When he saw Dean Winchester enter, his eyes started to roll again until he saw how…  _ vulnerable  _ he looked. Castiel averted his eyes and shifted in his seat, reminded once again that when it came to the Choosing, no one was better or worse than anyone else. They were all afraid.

A few minutes later, all of the Houses had entered and found their place and section, and had sat down. The room fell silent automatically as Professor Shurley walked through the double doors, accompanied by the four Hogwarts’ Head of Houses. The five of them made their way to the front of the room and gathered near the Goblet. He  _ almost _ looked sad, and Castiel had a feeling he was struggling to keep it together.  _ You and me both, Professor Shurley. Please don’t choose my name- or actually, maybe do. Save someone else. _

“Hello, everyone, and welcome to the uhh, what are we up to now, 9th? 10th?” One of the Professors behind him whispered something to him and he continued, clearing his throat. “The Twelfth Annual Mudblood Games. I’m Professor and Headmaster Chuck Shurley, and I-,” he paused, and finally his face fell, “I’m in charge of overseeing the drawing of the names each year for the MudBlood Games. The Choosing Ceremony is the official beginning of the Games, even though you may not be in Purgatory yet. As you all know, a member from each house and each year beginning at year five will be chosen. If your name is chosen, I ask you to join me up here in the front.” He fell silent, taking a moment to study each section of houses. “We thank you for your noble sacrifices.”

“As if we have a choice!” someone shouted from across the room. Castiel turned his head toward the voice, recognizing the owner.  _ Finnick Odair, sixth year Gryffindor. You’re an absolute idiot. _ He watched as Professor Shurley fixed his eyes on Finnick, and he could have sworn some sort of silent communication passed between them, because Finnick sat back down and said nothing else.

Castiel let out a slow breath as he looked to Justin and shrugged, turning his attention back to the stage when Professor Shurley cleared his throat. “Sorry about the interruption, everyone. We can now continue as planned.”

**_Dean:_ **

“ _ Finnick, what the fuck! _ ” Dean whispered urgently, pulling him back down to his seat. His eyes traveled to the group of wizards standing behind their professors and his heart began beating rapidly. “Those guys  _ can  _ and  _ will  _ kill you, do you remember the story of what happened to that guy Rufus Turner?” Rufus had been a 7th year Gryffindor, up for his last year of the Choosing. From what Dean had heard, Rufus’s name wasn’t chosen, but his best friend Bobby Singer’s was. Rufus had gone a little mad, if the legend could be believed. He’d stood up and fired a curse at the Death Eater that had been in charge of the Choosing back then. Voldemort had originally wanted his supporters to handle this- the Death Eaters.  _ What kind of a dumbass name was that, anyway? You can’t eat death.  _ But Rufus Turner had fired that curse in defiance of the whole thing, refusing to let his friend be taken. The stories claim that Rufus was killed on the spot, his body left where it fell for the remainder of the Choosing. Bobby was taken anyway, and he didn’t win. After that, Professor Shurley was given this particular responsibility, in hopes that no one else would go firing off jinxes or be dumb enough to fight back. Now, the Death Eaters were on hand to take the Chosen away, but otherwise remained standing in the back, silent and ominous.

Finnick just shrugged. Dean wasn’t stupid enough to say anything else, but he couldn’t get his heart rate back under control. He was vaguely aware of Professor Shurley recounting a history of the Games - the losers, the winners and where they are now. He looked around the room, desperate to find  _ someone  _ that had their shit together, and his eyes fell on Castiel Novak. He could see his bright blue eyes even from two tables away, but they didn’t hold their usual quiet confidence. Today, Castiel was just as afraid as he was; although to the untrained eye, Castiel looked positively bored. Dean was well-equipped to catch the signs of fear even when there didn’t seem to be any. It was something his dad taught him before he got his letter. Reading people was a necessary trait for a hunter of the supernatural, since a lot of the time monsters --  _ magical creatures,  _ he mentally corrected himself -- looked just like regular humans.

“Some of you will already know the rest of this, but for all of the fifth years joining us today, I will explain how this works,” Professor Shurley said, regaining his confidence. “If you are chosen, you will be leaving Hogwarts for good.” Dean watched as Professor Shurley glanced back at the Death Eaters, and seemed to deflate a little bit. “Those whose names come out of the Goblet will be leaving with them, to an undisclosed location. Once there, each of you will have an opportunity to show your strengths.” He lowered his voice as he continued, almost as though he was afraid of what would happen if he did said these next words out loud: “Each and every one of you has strength. Regardless of blood status or how much you think you know, you’re strong. You’re smart, and you’re capable. You deserve better. Please remember tha--” His words were cut short when one of the larger Death Eaters stepped forward and grabbed him roughly. Dean stood up quickly, but couldn’t do anything but watch as Professor Shurley was hauled out of the Great Hall.

As his eyes travelled back towards the front of the room, he noticed he wasn’t the only one on his feet. The mostly empty Slytherin table was still seated, of course, but there were a handful of others scattered throughout the room that were doing the exact same thing he was. He noticed Sirius a few seats down and panicked slightly.  _ What the fuck is Sirius doing here? He’s a pureblood, and way better at magic than most of the kids in this school. There’s no reason for him to be here, unless -- no, you’d know if your best friend was a magical creature. It’s gotta be something else.  _ Even further down from Sirius was a guy he knew only as Thresh, his features twisted in anger. He spotted two Ravenclaws he didn’t recognize and then his eyes fell on Castiel, standing alone at the Hufflepuff table and staring right back at him. Dean blinked first, and was surprised when he started to calm down. Usually seeing Castiel pissed him off, but something about this was different. They were the same, tonight. Not a Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor, or a sixth year and a fifth year. Not a half-blood and a mudblood. They were just Cass and Dean, and if Cass was going to stand there looking unbothered, then so was Dean. He knew Castiel was afraid, and Dean was too, but they could hide it. They could be strong for those around them.

His epiphany of imagined comradery was interrupted by Seneca Crane, shouting for everyone to sit back down. Castiel broke eye contact with him as he obeyed, and Dean quickly did the same.

Professor Crane was also, apparently, a Death Eater. Something about that didn’t surprise Dean in the slightest, as he was technically their Dark Arts professor. He’d only had a handful of lessons with him so far, but they’d been increasingly horrific.

Crane stepped back, making room for another Death Eater. He spoke quickly. “My name is Caesar Flickerman, and unlike your Headmaster, I don’t feel the need to give the majority of you details about what is to come. If you’re lucky enough to be chosen, you will be briefed on the rules. If not, you will go back to your sad, miserable lives until next year’s Choosing.” He walked over to the Goblet of Fire and stood next to it. “Half-bloods, mudbloods,  _ creatures _ of all kinds. Blood traitors, rebels, and general disgraces to your heritage. You’re all here by Voldemort’s grace to be given a second chance - a chance to be better than your ancestors. May the odds be ever in your favor.”

At those words, the Goblet of Fire’s ice blue flames sparked blood red, and a single piece of parchment appeared from it. Flickerman grabbed it from the air and read aloud, “Hannah Abbott? Never heard of her, who is --” He turned to Seneca Crane, who muttered something to him. “Ahh, yes. Hufflepuff 5th year, half-blood. Very good, very good. Hannah, make your way to the front.” Dean looked around to find her, and it didn’t take long. Her knees were knocking together so loudly he was sure the groundskeeper Hagrid could hear it from his hut. To her credit, she took her place and stilled.

Dean watched as the flames turned red again, and Flickerman announced the next name. “Vincent Crabbe, our Slytherin 5th year! I know this one, he’s a pureblood.” Flickerman made a face that closely resembled disgust. “Talk about your disappointments, am I right?” Once again, Dean’s eyes searched for the victim. He recognized Crabbe as the other Slytherin he saw with Glimmer and Jack Morningstar outside of Transfiguration earlier that month.

It was slowly occurring to Dean that they were doing this by year, so the next two names would mean everything. If neither name was his, he would be safe. He felt a surge of panic as the next name made its way out of the briefly red flames, but it would seem that he still had a little longer to wait.

“Kevin Tran! This must be our Ravenclaw 5th year, am I correct?” Flickerman looked towards a very scared boy that Dean assumed must be Kevin, and used the most condescending tone of voice he had ever heard. “Mr. Tran, do you know why you’ve been chosen?” Kevin stood slowly and nodded. “I’m a Seer, sir.” Caesar Flickerman sneered. “At least your parents instilled some respect in you. I’ll be keeping an eye on you. We could use a few of you on our side, if you ask me.” Dean shuddered as he watched Kevin take his place next to Vincent Crabbe and Hannah Abbott. This was it, no turning back. The next name out of the Goblet would be the Gryffindor 5th year, and Dean was gripping the edge of the table so hard in fear and anticipation that he was practically lifted off of his seat. He heard Lisa whisper behind him, “Relax, it’s not you, it’s Neville, remember? You’re fine, Dean. You’re safe.”

Dean’s breathing stopped entirely as the fourth name forced its way from the Goblet. “The 5th year representative from Gryffindor will be.. Neville Longbottom!” Flickerman looked around to find Neville, who was frozen in his seat. “File you under ‘disgrace to your bloodline,’ boy. I don’t imagine you’ll last very long.”

When Neville didn’t move, or make any indication that he’d heard him at all, a Death Eater came down and retrieved him. Dean’s brain shorted out a little, not only was he  _ safe _ , but his girlfriend was also, apparently, a Seer. He let out the breath he was holding and realized he was shaking.  _ Safe. Safe. I’m safe. We’re all safe. _

**_Castiel:_ **

Castiel watched Dean as the Gryffindor fifth year’s name was read out. He told himself it was simply because he didn’t know any other Gryffindor fifth years, but that was decidedly a lie. He knew Lisa, for example, who was sitting right next to Dean.  _ Maybe I should look at her instead.  _ But, truth be told, Castiel didn’t want to look at Lisa Braeden. He didn’t particularly want to look at Dean, either. He wanted to be in the safety of his dorm, laying under the blankets in his four-poster bed. Safe and away from all of this.

It was his turn now, he knew. Caesar Flickerman had asked if there were any volunteers willing to take the place of one of the unlucky fifth years, but of course, no one did. Castiel remembered the promise he made to himself that if Hael was chosen, he would take her place. Now, in this room, faced with the prospect of actually having to do it? He was suddenly very glad he didn’t verbalize that particular bit of chivalry. He was glad, at least, that he would be getting this over with quickly. The fifth year selections started with Hufflepuff, and that meant the sixth year selections would too. He only had a few moments longer to wait. Just a few…

“Meg Masters!” Flickerman yelled. “Ahh, yes, our first mudblood, not much of an explanation needed there. Gryffindor, judging by the robes.” Castiel’s eyes widened, this wasn’t how they were supposed to do this, there should be an  _ order, why isn’t there order?  _ His eyes followed Meg as she became the first of the sixth years chosen and took her place with the others. Castiel shifted in his seat as the flames turned red.

“Gloss Livingston! Ravenclaw, I believe she’s a half-blood, is that correct? I think I hexed her father once…” Gloss’s face was bright red and her shoulders were slumped as she stood up from her seat. Castiel sighed as she walked.  _ Backward. They’re going backward. There is an order, of course there is, it’s just the order that makes me wait the longest. _

He felt a lump in his throat as Marvel Henderson - muggle-born, yet talented - became the Slytherin’s sixth year representative. It was time, he was sure of it now. He licked his lip and glanced at Hael, who was crying silently next to him. He put an arm around her hesitantly, but pulled away when she leaned into his side. He straightened his back and kept his face as straight as possible given the absolute hurricane of fear raging inside of him.

The flames turned red and spit out the next name. Flickerman was silent too long as he looked at it, and Castiel was mentally begging him to just  _ read the damn name already.  _ “Garth Fitzgerald! Hufflepuff sixth year and… werewolf?” Flickerman turned to Seneca Crane for confirmation, and he nodded once. Castiel was shocked at the news that his friend hid the fact that he was a werewolf from him, but his heart broke for him all the same. He turned to face him as Garth stood; his long, spindly legs making him even clumsier than the fear was doing on its own. Castiel reached out and squeezed his arm as he passed, but it was clear Garth didn’t notice. He couldn’t take his eyes off of his friend as he took his place at the front with all the others. He felt tears well in his eyes but he forced them back, he would  _ not  _ allow himself to cry here.

**_Dean:_ **

It wasn’t Dean’s fault that Castiel had been sitting near the boy that was just chosen, so it _also_ wasn’t Dean’s fault that his eyes lingered on him long enough to see the tears in his eyes. _They were friends. Castiel is losing a_ ** _friend._** He allowed himself one moment to feel badly for him before Castiel controlled his facial expression and Dean snapped out of it.

Once again, Caesar Flickerman called for volunteers, but none stepped forward. Dean wasn’t surprised by this, it had been 4 years since anyone had offered to take the place of a chosen tribute. He wondered if he’d ever be able to have that kind of courage. He guessed maybe if it was Sirius or Lisa, he’d be able to, or at the very least - he wanted to  _ think  _ he would. But where would that leave Sam? He wouldn’t allow himself to consider the possibility that Sam would ever be chosen, but if Dean ended up volunteering for someone else, he’d be leaving Sam alone with just their parents. He felt another twinge of fear at that, and was grateful it wouldn’t be happening - at least not yet.

He looked back to the front to see that the first of the seventh years was already up there, her yellow and black Hufflepuff robes wrapped tightly around her. Mags Gallagher, he thought he heard her name was. She, too, was muggle born - as was Ruby Cortese -the final Slytherin tribute that was proudly walking towards the others with a triumphant look on her face.  _ There’s always one. _ He’d never met the Ravenclaw ‘blood traitor’ - Flickerman’s words, not Dean’s - but he was sad nonetheless when Romilda Vane started crying uncontrollably and refused to leave her seat when she was called. He was paying full attention now, and grimaced when he remembered the rough treatment Neville had received when he had refused to move.

Two of the Death Eaters behind Flickerman descended upon Romilda and attempted to use physical force to move her, but she was strong. Dean was almost impressed by the way she held them off, until one of the Death Eaters stepped back and pointed his wand at her. “ _ Levicorpus _ !” Romilda was immediately hoisted into the air by her ankle, her body swinging wildly as she attempted to right herself. Dean was horrified, and was trying to think of the counter-jinx because  _ no one  _ should have to deal with that, especially not with what she’s facing.

It wouldn’t come to him, however. His mind was uselessly blank as he watched that Death Eater guide Romilda’s flailing, upside-down body towards the front of the room. Someone in the room must have remembered it though, because before they made it to their destination, she was abruptly dropped. He would have thought the Death Eater had done it on purpose if it wasn’t for the fact that he whirled around, his eyes wild as he scanned the room. “Who did that! Which one of you wretched pieces of filth would  _ dare  _ to undermine me?” Dean’s face turned red, he couldn’t have done it, could he have? He didn’t remember the word, and while he knew that both the jinx and counter-jinx were meant to also work non-verbally, you still need to know the incantation to make it work. He flicked his eyes around the room, landing on face after confused face, until he saw what he was looking for. Castiel looked guiltier than Sammy had after he stole Dean’s last piece of pie on Christmas. He narrowed his eyes, not forgetting what Lisa told him about her first Dark Arts lesson with Castiel.  _ The guy had performed Unforgivable Curses on people, why would he be helping Romilda?  _ He assumed that Castiel must be looking guilty for a different reason, and he turned back to watch the poor girl. She had made it back to her feet and seemed to have learned better than to resist.

Despite the knowledge that he was safe, his gut was still twisting as the flames turned red for the final time. Caesar Flickerman read the name with the same level of bravado and showmanship that he did the first. “Thresh McKinney! Oh, I know some McKinney’s… vampires, aren’t they?” Thresh stood from the Gryffindor table and flashed a set of jagged, pointy teeth. He didn’t seem excited  _ or  _ scared as he completed the set of tributes, he just seemed… emotionless. The hunter in Dean stirred at the sight of Thresh’s fangs, but he wasn’t that kid anymore. And Thresh would have enough people hunting him soon enough.

Flickerman clapped his hands together once, drawing the attention back to himself. “Volunteers for our seventh years? No? Well alright then, that’s it, everyone! You now have your 12 Mudblood Games tributes. Let’s give them all a big round of applause!” He turned and gestured to the kids standing petrified next to him, but not a single person in the Great Hall clapped their hands. Flickerman looked momentarily put-out by the lack of enthusiastic response, but he pressed on. “Well then, if the rest of you would kindly make your way back to your dorms, I think this concludes the Choosing. I will see most of you next year.”

In a bit of a daze, Dean stood with the other Gryffindors. He was vaguely aware that Romilda was sobbing again, and he briefly caught sight of Castiel trying to say something to one of the tributes; the werewolf, Garth. Neville Longbottom looked as sad as he’s ever seen a person that wasn’t openly crying. Dean felt a couple of people bump into him on their way out as he stared at the boy, all too aware of how easily that could have been him. He wondered if he was now among one of the last people to ever see Neville alive, or if by some miracle he’d be the one that found his way out of Purgatory. Dean seriously doubted it, based on the look of some of the other tributes. But he could hope, because Neville deserved at least that much. Dean wondered for the first time if the tributes would be allowed time to say goodbye to their families, or if the teary-eyed farewells on Platform 9 ¾ were all they were going to get. He wasn’t sure which one would be harder, just letting go or saying goodbye all over again. It was something Dean knew he’d never have to find out, because even if he was chosen next year, he doubted his parents would come to say goodbye even if they were permitted to. He decided that he hoped for Neville’s sake that he would have a chance to say goodbye.

He was soon lost in the crowd of kids trying to escape the Great Hall, too shell-shocked by how horrific that entire thing was to put much effort into changing course.

**_ Castiel:  _ **

Castiel wasn’t sure what to say to Garth, but he knew he should say  _ something.  _ He’d gathered that Garth didn’t have much of a family left, he had mentioned a couple of years ago that some muggles who fashioned themselves as supernatural hunters had taken out most of his pack. He leaned in as close to Garth as he could and simply said, “good luck.” He knew it wasn’t enough, it would never be enough. Garth was as good as dead, and everyone knew it. Even if he did manage to survive the Games and make it out, he’d be part of Voldemort’s world - he’d either have to become a killer, or he’d die anyway. Garth Fitzgerald wouldn’t hurt a fly, and it was that very gentleness that was about to be the end of him. Castiel’s stomach dropped even further and he once again found himself fighting back tears. He squeezed Garth’s hand, but the boy didn’t respond. He looked lost, and in that moment Castiel wished he would have had the guts to volunteer.

Things became very chaotic all at once. The Death Eaters started Apparating out of the Great Hall with the tributes, and the ones that remained spun wildly in last-ditch efforts not to be taken. He heard screeches from some of the kids that were still in the hall, and someone was loudly crying again.  _ Romilda? Or was that Mags?  _ Castiel made a quick decision and latched on to Garth’s arm, hoping to either go with him or keep him here. Neither of those things happened, as Castiel was hit with a stunning spell which caused him to let go of Garth. By the time he regained his faculties, Garth was gone. All of the tributes were, the whole lot of them had disappeared in less than 20 seconds.

Castiel swore loudly, now one of the only people left in the Great Hall. He noticed Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane conversing in the corner, and they turned to look at him when he made his outburst. “Better luck next year, son,” Flickerman said before turning back to Crane.

“Luck?! You’ve got to be -” his words were cut off as Hael grabbed him, Charlie on her heels.

“Castiel, shut up! You have to shut up, come on, we need to go!” Hael’s whispered words were urgent enough that Castiel forgot why he was so angry, and instead remembered his fear from earlier. The Choosing was over, but was it? Did they take extras if students were unruly, or  _ rebellious?  _ Castiel decided he wasn’t going to be the one that found out, and he allowed Hael and Charlie to lead him back to the common room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys still alive? Did you fall asleep during that? I think that was the longest chapter I (we) have ever written. See you Thursday!


	5. The Breakup Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s a lot of POV swaps here. I’m not sorry.

**_Dean_ **

Dean was smothered by a very large person hugging him the second he walked through the portrait of the Fat Lady. It was all messy hair and broad shoulders and the sound of his own name being triumphantly yelled in his ear. “Damnit, Sammy, get offa me!” Dean attempted to squirm out of his little brother’s grip, but it wasn’t doing him much good. He realized in a rush that Sam would have been sitting in this very room for the last couple of hours wondering if he’d ever see his brother again. Dean quickly hugged him back. “I’m okay, Sam. I’m fine, they didn’t pick me. I’m not goin’ anywhere, okay?” Sam squeezed him almost to the point of breaking a rib, and then let him go. 

“I’m sorry, Dean, I was just… “ Sam started, but couldn’t seem to find the words. 

Dean nodded. “I know, man, I know. Me too. But it’s done, you’re not gettin’ rid of me that easily.” He attempted to smile, he really was happy that he wasn’t chosen, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the faces of the kids that were. 

Sam was always a little too in tune with his brother’s emotions for Dean’s liking, and tonight was no exception. “It’s not your fault, Dean. There’s nothing you could have done to save any of them. And even if there  _ was,  _ you’re just a kid. It’s not your job.” 

“Look, I know that, okay? I do.” He wants to open up to Sam, to spill his guts about how horrible it was to watch Neville freeze up, or Romilda being forcefully taken from her seat and hung upside down. How gut-wrenching it felt to know that he’d never see those faces again, and he’d never even tried to get to know them. Who were they? What did they like to do for fun? What made them happy, scared… what were their fears? He was pretty sure that tonight, all of their fears were the same. 

Dean wasn’t going to tell Sam any of that, no matter how badly he wanted to. His brother wouldn’t have to deal with that reality for another year, so he certainly wasn’t going to force him to listen to Dean’s own experiences with it. He’d keep him sheltered from it for as long as he could. 

“Who was chosen?” The question didn’t come from Sam, as he’d expected, but from Alyssa Blake. Dean glanced at her briefly. “Neville Longbottom.” 

Alyssa frowned, then took a seat next to Sam on one of the couches and rested her head on his shoulder. Sam asked her if she knew him but she shook her head. “Not really, we’d seen each other in the library a few times and he was always kind to me, but I didn’t _ know _ him.” 

“Know who?” It was Lisa this time, who was climbing down the stairs from the girls dorms. She had a bottle in one hand and a few glasses cradled between her other arm and her side. She grinned as she made it to the bottom of the stairs and set everything down on the table. “I knicked some Firewhiskey from kitchens last night, just in case.” 

Finnick Odair leaned forward in his seat, and Dean took the seat next to him. “Neville Longbottom was who we were talking about, and thanks for the Firewhiskey. I think I need it.” He poured himself a glass and leaned back again. 

Lisa huffed. “Right, it’s a shame about Neville. He was giving me private Herbology lessons. How am I going to pass now?” 

Dean’s eyes widened. “He was just sent to the fucking Mudblood Games, and you’re worried about how you’re going to pass  _ Herbology?!”  _

__ Lisa looked at Dean like  _ he  _ was the one being rude. “Yes, Dean, I am. I’m sorry that life goes on after the Choosing, but it does. You knew Neville was going to be the one picked, I don’t know why you’re acting like such a baby over it all of a sudden.” 

Dean’s eyes widened even further. “All of a sudden? Lis, it just fucking happened! Not two hours ago! Those kids are all goners, and that doesn’t bother you even a little bit?” 

“No, it doesn’t. Because at the end of the day, I’m going to survive and so are you.” Lisa proceeded to point to each one of them in turn. “And you, and you, and you.” With that last one, she poked Finnick in the chest. He rubbed the spot and then grabbed her wrist gently, looking to Dean. “She’s right, Dean. It might seem harsh but it’s the truth. It could have been any one of us up there, we should be  _ celebrating.”  _

__ “Well ‘scuse me for not bein’ over the moon about the fact that we just watched 12 kids get sent to their deaths.” 

Sam cut in now, ever the voice of reason. “Whoa, guys, let’s just take a step back. I know everyone’s emotions are running high after that, so maybe we should just try to see things from both sides.” 

“Both sides? Dean only sees  _ his  _ side, just like always.” Lisa’s temper was rising, and it was showing. “Just like earlier, he didn’t believe me when I said I  _ saw  _ Neville getting picked. He told me I was wrong and looked at me like I belonged in St. Mungo’s. But I did, Sam. I saw it when I was in Divination… Professor Spencer even said it was real, and then it happened! But I bet your big, stupid brother  _ still  _ won’t believe me, because it doesn’t fit right into his perfect little world.” Lisa finished her outburst and sat down on Finnick’s other side, crossing her arms. 

Dean felt a little bit like he’d been physically slapped. Sure, she was right about the fact that he didn’t believe her at first, but that Professor she was talking about, Shawn Spencer? There were plenty of people that thought he was a fake psychic, Dean certainly wasn’t alone in that. Was it so much of a stretch to think anything that happened in his classroom was therefore fake as well?  _ Doesn’t fit right into his perfect little world.  _ Dean’s world was far from perfect, and one of the things he’d always liked most about Lisa was that she knew that. He never felt like he had to impress her or be something that he wasn’t. But now, looking over at her and the way she was looking back at him… he wasn’t convinced that  _ he  _ ever knew  _ her  _ at all. 

Finnick put his arm over the back of the couch behind Lisa, and it was enough to snap what little self-control Dean had left. “You know what Lisa, you’re right. It doesn’t fit into my perfect little world, and maybe you don’t either.” He stood up and glared at Finnick. “Have her, bud. She’s all yours.” He stomped toward the stairs to the boys’ dorms and climbed them two at a time, a whirlwind of sadness and anger inside of him. 

_**Castiel** _

Several days after the Choosing, Castiel descended the stairs to the Hogwarts dungeons for his Potions lesson. This was a class he now dreaded above all others. He excelled at potion making, and yet Professor Crowley had seen fit to throw him in with the Gryffindor fifth years. There were certain lessons that broke from the old O.W.L. (Ordinary Wizarding Level exams) schedule and became standardized for years five, six, and seven after Voldemort assumed control of Hogwarts and the wizarding world as a whole. The Dark Arts was one of them; the classes were intermixed with students from different houses and years. Potions, to Castiel’s dismay, was another. 

He swung the door open and walked in to the dimly lit room. He breathed in deeply; most people hated the permanent cloud that floated around the room from all of the potions made down here, but Castiel loved it. He could pick out each individual ingredient from the residue that hung in the air, and he liked to imagine what sort of potion it came from. Today, the cloud smelled faintly of honey and campfire mixed with the pages of an old book.  _ Maybe the students in the class before me were brewing Amortentia.  _ He shuddered at the thought, Amortentia was an extremely potent love potion. As he set his things down at his desk and went to the stockroom to grab his cauldron, he found himself praying that they wouldn’t be brewing one -- Hael was in this lesson too, and Professor Crowley had an awful tendency to make them test their potions out on each other. 

He returned to his seat just as several other students were finally making their way inside. Hael took her place to Castiel’s right, and he was surprised to find Dean Winchester on his left. He furrowed his brows and tilted his head; Dean usually sat by Lisa on the opposite end of the room. The seat he was occupying now had previously belonged to Meg Masters, but she was chosen for the Games and it had been empty since. He opened his mouth to ask Dean why he was sitting there just as Professor Crowley began to speak. 

“It would seem that the lot of you have been scurrying around the castle with your tails between your legs since the Choosing. I thought we’d set you back on the right paths today. You will be teaming up with the person directly to your left,” Castiel looked at Dean and groaned quietly as Crowley continued, “and brewing the elixir to induce euphoria. As always, your grades will be based off of whether you kill your partner or not when they drink it. Best  _ not  _ to be your usual, moronic selves today. Any questions?” 

Castiel watched as Dean looked to his left and saw nothing but the dungeon wall, and then raise his hand. “Professor Crowley? I don’t have anyone to my left, does that mean I can work alone?” 

Crowley growled quietly. “You’ve got the brain of a squirrel, you know that, don’t you? You’ll be partnered with Novak, since you’re to  _ his  _ left. I hope for his sake you can brew better than you can use common sense, but based on your performances thus far… I’d think not.” 

Castiel sighed as Crowley dismissed them to begin brewing their potions. He pulled out his copy of  _ Advanced Potion Making  _ and flipped to the correct page. He scanned the ingredients list. “Okay, we need shrivelfig, porcupine quills, castor beans, and wormwood.” He turned to Dean, who was frowning at the empty cauldron. “Would you like to get the ingredients, or should I?” 

Dean looked up at Castiel and shrugged, and he couldn’t help but notice that usual mischievous glint was gone from Dean’s eyes. He cleared his throat. “I’ll get them, can you get the flame going?” He didn’t wait for Dean to answer as he made his way back to the stockroom, inching around other students and gathering what they would need.  _ It’s not like he’s ever been polite to you, this won’t be any different. Just brew the potion. Maybe if you do it well enough and make him drink it, he’ll stop being rude for five minutes.  _ He went back to Dean and set the ingredients down. 

Dean was absentmindedly poking at the flame under the cauldron with his wand, making it changed colours and temperatures. Castiel cleared his throat to get his attention. Dean looked up and appeared almost surprised to see him standing there. “Huh? Oh, yeah, go ahead. Shrivelfigs are first, right?” Dean reached over Castiel and grabbed the necessary amount and dropped them in the cauldron. The potion turned a turquoise colour, and then Dean started to stir it. As he stirred, he repeatedly flicked his eyes to Castiel’s, and then back down to the potion. 

After about the fourth time of this happening, Castiel was curious. “What are you doing?” 

Dean just kept doing it, and muttered, “supposed to stir till it turns blue, right? You’re eyes are pretty damn blue. Just usin’ ‘em as a reference point, that’s all.” 

Castiel’s stomach did a little flip, but he rolled his eyes. “I think it’s blue enough, we need to let it simmer now. It’s supposed to turn yellow before we add the porcupine quills.” When Dean didn’t immediately stop stirring, Castiel swatted his hand away. “Professor Crowley wasn’t kidding about you. Except, I think even squirrels listen better.” 

Dean scowled at him and sat down in his seat, crossing his arms. “Fine, if you’re so damn clever, brew it without me. It ain’t like I’ll ever need to know how to do this again.” 

Castiel opened his mouth to argue, but was again interrupted - this time by Hael. She put her hand on his arm. “Do you know how many porcupine quills we’ll need? The book doesn’t say.” 

He pursed his lips slightly and leaned over her arm to look at his own book. “It just says to add them until it turns blue again, we’re not that far yet. I don’t know how many it will take.” He heard Dean behind him quietly humming the theme song to Jeopardy, which made him huff. “Please excuse me, Hael, I think our potion is nearly ready for the next step.” 

She smiled warmly at him and added, “There’s a Hogsmeade weekend coming up soon. Will you come with me? We could go to Madam Puddifoot’s.” 

Madam Puddifoot’s was a nauseatingly pink tea shop, which Castiel usually avoided at all costs. It was a spot for couples, mostly, which him and Hael decidedly were  _ not.  _ “I’m sorry, Hael. I already made plans to go to Hogsmeade with Newt. Maybe the next weekend we’re allowed to attend, we can plan something.” He turned away from her then, flicking his eyes to Dean just long enough to see the curious expression on his face. He heard Hael sigh behind him, and then he turned his attention back to the potion. It was indeed yellow, which meant it was time for him to find out the answer to Hael’s original question. He slowly added porcupine quills until the mixture turned back to blue once more. He nodded, satisfied with their progress. He glanced over the page in the book, and then looked at Dean. “It needs to simmer again until it’s purple this time, and then we can add the castor beans.”

Dean was smiling at Castiel. It wasn’t a full smile, by anyone’s calculation, but it was the first time that Dean had done anything but glare at him. “Whatever you say, Cass. You’re the potion master here, remember? I’m just gonna sit here and look pretty.” Dean paused momentarily before leaning to the side to look at Hael. “Speaking of pretty, what’s going on with you two? She’s hot, Cass, you shoulda said yes.” 

Castiel fixed his eyes on Dean, temporarily forgetting the potion. “I don’t think that’s any of your business, Winchester. And for the last time, my name is Castiel.” He turned back to the potion and stared at it, willing it to turn purple faster. It would have irritated him less if Dean was being his normal, abrasive self. This shift in attitude wasn’t something he was prepared for, and to be honest, he was looking forward to the back and forth banter they usually shared. It would have been a nice break from the constant, silent stares he got from the Hufflepuffs and Hael’s unending advances. 

Dean peeked over the side of the cauldron and looked up at Cass with his annoyingly green eyes. “Looks pretty purple to me, don’t you think?” 

Castiel realized he hadn’t been paying attention, so he blinked a couple of times and then added exactly 7 castor beans. He sighed when he realized it needed to simmer again, and he sat down this time. “Why are you here?”

Dean squinted. “Well, you see, Cass… when mommies and daddies love each other… “

Castiel held up a hand and interrupted quickly, turning his attention back to the potion. “Yes, Dean, I’m well aware of how babies are made. I meant why were you sitting next to me instead of Lisa Braeden? You could have been working with her instead.” 

He felt Dean’s eyes burning holes into the side of his head, and once again was on the receiving end of Dean’s best impression of him. “I don’t think that’s any of your business, Novak.” Castiel grimaced, and added more shrivelfigs to the potion once it was an acceptable shade of brown. This addition caused the potion to turn an obnoxious shade of pink, and he was reminded of Hael’s proposition. He chanced a glance at Dean, who was no longer smiling. His jaw was clenched and he was pointedly looking away. Castiel softened a little. “I’m sorry, Dean, I didn’t mean to pry. I was curious, you usually make it a point to avoid me.” 

Dean’s voice came out harsh, and Castiel flinched from it. “Yeah, guess I’ll have to learn to do a better job of that, won’t I?” 

It was silent between them as Castiel finished the potion: simmer until it’s orange, then add wormwood until it turns the colour of sunshine. He was pretty sure he was there, but wanted to get someone else’s opinion. “Does this look like sunshine to you?” Dean didn’t even look at the potion, he just grunted, which Castiel accepted as the only answer he was going to get. 

Dean tapped the bottom of the cauldron with his wand and the flame extinguished. “Good work, Castiel. Let’s hope it doesn’t kill me when I drink it.” Dean gathered some into a vial and raised his eyebrows at it. “Bottoms up.” He downed the potion before Castiel could object. 

“Well? Do you feel… euphoric?” He watched Dean intently, knowing that there were a couple of times he wasn’t paying full attention and he very well could have made a mistake. 

Dean’s face lit up in the biggest grin Castiel had ever seen on anyone. It was infectious, and he found himself wondering why Dean didn’t smile like that more often. He smiled himself, and decided to test the waters. “You know, Dean, you’re much more pleasant like this. Perhaps you should make this elixir part of your usual diet.” 

Dean laughed now, and it was loud and breathy and  _ pure.  _ Castiel knew the potion must have worked as intended, because the sound coming out of Dean held none of it’s usual hardness or mockery. He quickly filled a vial of his own and drank it. 

It took a few moments for the effects to kick in, but when they did… he suddenly and completely understood how Dean felt. It was like walking on clouds while surrounded by puppies. It was joy; pure, unfiltered bliss. He was positive that he’d never felt anything like it in his entire life. He looked at Dean again and noticed how freckles peppered his face and nose, and he reached out a hand to touch them. Dean was still grinning and didn’t make a move to stop him, so his thumb brushed over Dean’s cheek, just under his eye. 

Dean seemed to finally notice what was happening, and he pulled back slightly with his eyebrows pinched. “Stoppit.” 

Cass looked at his hand, then to Deans face, then back to his hand. He pulled his hand back slowly, frowning. “My apologies. I didn’t- I didn’t intend on that happening.”

Dean looked at Cass for a moment and then said, “Do it again.” 

He squinted at him, tilting his head. “Sorry?”

Dean blinked as he started to snap out of it, then shook his head and turned back to the potion. “Huh. Guess you did an alright job, Novak. Maybe I’ll actually pass for once.” 

“Right, uh- we’ll pass, I’m sure of it,” Castiel paused for a moment, before speaking again, “so, now what?”

Professor Crowley made his way over to the two and peered over the potion. “Let me guess, giraffe over here did all the work?” He jerked his head at Castiel, and Dean shrugged in response. 

Cass looked to Dean, and then back to Professor Crowley. “No, we shared the work, actually. Dean knows what he’s doing.”

Dean grinned at Crowley, still under some lingering effects of the potion. “I did all the stirring.” 

Professor Crowley looked at Dean with a condescending expression. “This elixir needs stirred only once, you’re telling me that’s all you did?” 

Dean kept grinning, and nodded. “Yep, but I did a damn good job stirring it, didn’t I Cass? Stirred it till it was bluer than his eyes, Professor.” 

Cass did his best to keep his blushing to a minimum as he nodded. “He did, yes. He was a very enthusiastic… stirrer.”

Now Crowley eyed Cass with the same condescending expression he used on Dean. “Listen, I don’t need to know what Mr. Winchester does or does not do enthusiastically. It seems as though your potion was effective, though, so bully for you.” He pulls out a vial and takes a sample. “Clean this mess up and be on your way.” He took the vial and disappeared into his office.

Dean looked at Cass and laughed again. “Enthusiastic stirrer?” 

He shrugged and looked away because it was the only thing he could think of at that point. “Yes, an enthusiastic stirrer. I could’ve told him all you did was stir, and then he would’ve failed you. So, you’re welcome.” He began tidying up, ignoring how terrible at talking to Dean he was and the fact that what he said didn’t make any sense.

Dean shook his head with a quiet laugh, and the effects must have been wearing off rapidly, because his smile was fading. He glanced over at Lisa and the smile disappeared altogether. “Yeah, thanks Cass--  _ tiel.  _ Castiel. Do you think you can handle cleanin’ the rest of this up? I got somewhere I need to be.” Dean pointed his wand at the contents of the cauldron and muttered, “ _ Evanesco,”  _ and the rest of the potion disappeared. 

Cass frowned at Dean’s sudden shift in mood, but nodded once. “Yes, Dean, I can handle it.” He continued to move things, picking up the now clean cauldron. “I suppose I’ll see you around.”

Dean nodded absentmindedly while he put his things back in his bag. “Yeah, whatever man. Maybe I’ll come look for you in Madam Puddifoot’s.” Those last words were laced with sarcasm, and Dean quickly made his way out of the dungeon. 

Cass’ frown deepened as he continued to clean, looking back at Lisa. He raised his eyebrow, and then turned once everything was clean, leaving.

_**Dean** _

Dean had absolutely zero intention of going to find Castiel Novak  _ anywhere  _ in Hogsmeade, let alone that stupid tea shop so he could watch him make out with that girl from Potions. Yet as he and Sirius made their way out of Zonko’s Joke Shop in Hogsmeade that weekend, he couldn’t help searching the crowd… just in case. 

Sirius elbowed Dean. “If you’re looking for Lisa, she stayed behind. Are you two ever going to kiss and make up or am I going to have to watch you brood for the rest of the entire year?”

Dean scoffed and tried to brush it off. “It’s over, Sirius, you know that already. Let it go, alright? Be like Elsa.” 

“Elsa?” He tilted his head as they walked. “Right… she’s that girl from Charms.” He nodded. 

“Girl from --” Dean stopped and looked at him. “No, you idiot, she’s that ice queen from Frozen. Watch a movie once in awhile, would ya? Drives me nuts having to explain shit to you every twelve seconds.” 

Sirius rolled his eyes, crossing his arms almost defensively as they walked. “Where to now?”

Taking a look at the shops around them, Dean realized it was cold and he was hungry. “How bout the Three Broomsticks? Butterbeer sounds pretty damn good right about now.” 

Sirius grinned, nodding. “I’ll never say no to butterbeer.”

“Awesome.” He led Sirius inside the Three Broomsticks, shuddering a little at the sudden warmth. He scanned the room and spotted Finnick and James at a table near the corner. He nudged Sirius to get his attention and walked towards the booth with his hands in his pockets. He slid into the seat next to James, facing the rest of the pub. “You guys good?” 

Finnick grinned, looking over at him. “Always good, Winchester. You?”

“Never better, ya smarmy dick.” Dean looked over at James and nodded to him, just as a tiny little redheaded witch came over with four tall glasses of butterbeer and set them on the table. 

“Thanks, Madam MacLeod,” James quickly took his, reaching over Dean in the process. 

Sirius slid into a seat at some point, looking around the bar. He noted James grabbing his quickly and raised his eyebrows. “Where’s the fire?”

James didn’t look up as he drank deeply, then set his glass down. “If you’re experiencing a burning sensation, you should probably go see the nurse.” 

Dean normally would have laughed at the joke, but he was lost in thought, spinning his glass in circles on the table.

Finnick nudged his leg under the table, his eyebrows raised. “You sure you’re okay, man?”

“Huh?” Dean looked over at him and shrugged, the corners of his lips turning down quickly. “Yeah, man, I’m good. Just been a long year so far, you know? I’m ready for Quidditch.” 

Sirius huffed, rolling his neck. “The year isn’t even half over yet.”

“Tell me about it,” James said. “I don’t know how many more of those Dark Arts lessons I can take before I find a way to permanently incapacitate Professor Crane.” 

Madam MacLeod returned, looking to the others. “Anything to eat?” 

Dean didn’t have a lot of money on him, so he just shook his head. He’d grab something once he was back at the castle. “No thanks, but could I get a refill?” He drained his butterbeer and set the empty glass in front of her. “Please?” 

She nodded and disappeared, as Sirius stretched his arms out. “Does anyone  _ actually _ enjoy Hogsmeade?”

Dean frowned. “I love it here, we don’t have to wear those dumbass robes, and the shops here are way better than the ones in Diagon Alley. Can’t complain about getting outta the castle for a few hours, either.” 

James nodded. “That’s true, but scoot, I need to head back. I’m supposed to meet Lily in the Library in an hour and I need to grab something first.” Dean moved out of the way, and James slid out of the booth and nodded to the others. “See you guys in the common room later?”

Finnick and Sirius both nodded giving a small wave. “See ya.” James waved to a couple of kids in the booth next to theirs and then left the Three Broomsticks. 

Dean stayed standing. “You guys gonna be okay? I was gonna go check out Honeydukes.” 

Finnick nodded, his eyebrows furrowing. “Yeah, Winchester, we’ll be fine. You want company?”

Dean shook his head, honestly having no intention on going to Honeydukes whatsoever. “Nah, like James said… I’ll catch you guys back in the common room later.” He forgot about his butterbeer refill as he headed out the door, heading to the edge of town. He had his hands in his pockets again and was huddled against the chill in the air. 

It didn’t take him long to reach his destination. The Shrieking Shack was basically just an old abandoned building, but nobody came up here anymore, which suited Dean’s needs. It wasn’t that he was sad that him and Lisa broke up; it had become pretty clear to Dean that it was necessary, but he missed her all the same. And he still couldn’t get past what he witnessed at the Choosing. He spent more time than he cared to admit thinking about those kids and what they must be going through right now. He wondered how many of them -if any - were already dead. He knew from past years that they’d receive an update every couple of months, but that was still a long time to wait. He simply wanted some time to himself, and the Shrieking Shack was the best place in all of Hogsmeade to get some. He couldn’t get  _ into  _ the building, of course, it had been magically sealed and none of the unlocking spells he had tried had actually worked, so he settled for sitting down next to the building and leaning against it. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, thankful that no one was around to ask him questions he no longer had answers to. 

**_Castiel_ **

Cass held the door open for Hael as they left Madam Puddifoot’s, shivering when the cold air hit them. 

“Thank you, Castiel,” she smiled, zipping up her coat as they walked. 

He nodded and looked around, scanning the shop signs. “Anywhere in particular that you’d like to go?”   
She shook her head, smiling up at him. “No. I chose Puddifoot’s, you can choose where we go next, but can this be our last stop? I’m exhausted.”   
“How about Honeydukes? We can grab some candy and then you can head back,” he suggested, walking towards the candy store.   
She nodded in agreement, but frowned. “You’re not going to come back to Hogwarts with me?”

He shook his head. “No, we only get to leave that dreaded castle for so long at a time and I want to enjoy all of the time I’m given. You can head back without me.”

She sighed as they reached the store front, Castiel opening the door for her. “But I’ll miss you.” He cringed, but suddenly there’s a cheerful voice that interrupts their conversation and Castiel is pretty sure he’s never been more grateful. 

Charlie Bradbury grinned, her arms full of candy. “Sup bitches?!”

“Charlie!” Castiel smiled, making his way over to her instantly. “You’ve got your arms full, there.”

She nodded. “Yes, help would be wonderful.” She pushed some chocolate frogs and jelly slugs into his arms and grinned. “Thanks, Novak.”

He hadn’t realized he signed up to be her basket, but he nodded once anyways. “Always welcome, Charlie.”

She grinned and picked up some more stuff as they walked over to pay for it all. Hael trailed behind, not picking anything up, just looking. Once they reached the counter, Castiel dropped all the stuff. “I’ll need bags, please,” Charlie smiled, pulling out her money.

Castiel became distracted when the bell at the front door rang and he turned to see who entered. He raised his eyebrows when he saw Finnick Odair enter, seeming as if he was looking for something.

When Finnick noticed Castiel, he shouted, “Hey, Novak! You seen Winchester?” 

Castiel rolled his eyes. “I haven’t, no. Why do you ask?”

“He took off alone and said he was coming in here, but the bastard didn’t pay for his butterbeer.” He grinned, looking around again. “Guess he must’ve went somewhere else.” 

Castiel frowned slightly, shaking his head. “I haven’t seen him, sorry. Perhaps he went back to Hogwarts.”

Finnick mumbles something about being “good for nothing”, before he turned and left the shop.

“Oh, okay. Bye Finnick!” Charlie called after him, her eyes bright. “He’s so dreamy, isn’t he?”   
“You have a crush on Odair?” Castiel asked, smirking as he turned back to her. 

Charlie grabbed her bag and scoffed, brushing past him. “Don’t pretend you don’t Novak. Straight or not,  _ everyone _ has a crush on Finnick.”

Castiel cleared his throat, shaking his head. “No, I uh- I can’t say I do.”

Hael shook her head. “Yeah, me neither. There are  _ much _ prettier boys to be crushing on.” She shifted her eyes to Castiel, but he completely avoided her gaze.   
“I’m going to head back, I’ll see you guys later,” he spoke quietly. He reached into Charlie’s bag and grabbed a chocolate frog, before taking off, heading slowly back to Hogwarts.

_**Dean** _

Dean stayed where he was for awhile, his back pressed up against the wall of the Shrieking Shack. He opened his eyes and noticed it was starting to get dark. Deciding that he better get back before the Death Eaters came for him, he pushed himself up and wiped off his jeans. He started the trip back to Hogwarts, noticing for the first time how many of the shops in Hogsmeade had been closed and boarded up. He assumed that was Voldemort’s doing. When he took over, many of the wealthier witches and wizards packed up their shops and went elsewhere. Now almost an entire section of Hogsmeade was cordoned off. 

He passed through that section and walked past the Three Broomsticks on his way back up to the castle. It wasn’t a short trip and it was getting darker by the minute, so he eventually took off at a jog. As he got closer to the castle he slowed again, and began digging through his bag to check out the things he got from Zonko’s. He was rather looking forward to setting off a dungbomb somewhere in Finnick’s vicinity, but he was starting to think he’d forgotten to get one. He kept walking and kept digging, his face almost buried in the bag. As usual, he wasn’t paying attention to where he was heading, and he ran smack into Castiel Novak for the third time this year. 

He dropped the bag he was holding, looking up. “Cass- _ tiel.”  _ He bent over to pick up the things that spilled from his bag. “We gotta stop meeting like this.”

Castiel blinked, bending down to help Dean pick up his stuff. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you. Are you okay?”

Dean frowned, taking the things that Cass picked up and putting them back in the bag. “What, you’re not blamin’ me this time? I thought it was  _ always  _ my fault when we bumped into each other.”

He nodded. “It usually is, but this time I’ll take the blame.” 

Dean shrugged, not making eye contact. “I had my face buried in a bag, it ain’t like I was paying attention either. It’s fine, Castiel.” He shifted his grip on his bag and started walking again. 

Castiel kinda speedwalks to keep up with him. “So uh, what shops did you visit?”

Dean decided to keep up with the same lie he told everyone else, not knowing that anyone went looking for him. “Uhh Zonko’s, the Three Broomsticks and Honeydukes. You?” 

He raised his eyebrows, ignoring his question and asking one of his own. “What time were you at Honeydukes?”

“Uhh, right before I left to come back to the castle, why?” There was definite confusion in Dean’s voice, both from not knowing if he gave the right answer and from wondering why Castiel even cared.

Dean apparently  _ didn’t _ give the right answer, which caused Cass to frown. “I was there too, I didn’t see you. Finnick came looking for you as well.”

He stopped, licking his lip as he tried to think. “Does it really matter where I was? Where were  _ you  _ the whole day?” 

Castiel stopped as well. “I was at Madam Puddifoot’s and then we went to Honeydukes. That’s all. It was just a question, Dean, no need to get so defensive.” He turned and continued walking, crossing his arms. 

Dean muttered, “right, the porcupine girl.” He started walking again as well, but stayed a few paces behind Cass. 

Cass rolled his eyes, pulling his wand out of his pocket. He wasn’t sure why, he just felt a lot better holding it. “The tea was great, thank you.”

“No offense, but I don’t care how your  _ date _ was.” 

“It wasn’t a date,” he huffed. “A guy and a girl can go out for tea without it being a date.”

“Not when it’s a girl like her, you can’t.” Dean wasn’t sure why he was even arguing the point, but he was arguing it nonetheless. He slowed his pace even more and looked up, the sky now almost completely dark. “Getting back into the castle is gonna be a bitch, how’d we end up out here so late? I thought I left early enough.” 

“We’re never going to make it back if you keep slowing down and stopping.” He paused, turning to look back at him. “And why do you care anyways? Even if it was a date, which it wasn’t, but if it was, why would you care?”

“I don’t. And if you’re so worried about bein’ late, go on ahead. No one asked you to slow down with me.” Dean stopped entirely, his face turned up towards the sky. 

Castiel sighed, walking back towards Dean. “What’s wrong with you? Ever since Potions class the other day, you’ve been acting weird.”

“You barely know me, how the hell do you know what ‘weird’ is?” He dropped his eyes to the ground and started walking again, his hands in his pockets. 

“I was just asking, Dean.” He started walking again as well, spinning his wand in his hand. “I didn’t mean weird, I just meant… off.”

“Right.” Dean was silent for a minute as they walked, and then decided to just tell him the truth. “I sat next to you because Lisa and I broke up, alright? The seat next to you was the only empty one, that’s all.” 

He nodded as they walked, frowning a little bit. “I’m sorry to hear that. The seat beside me is yours, if you want it. No one ever sits there.”

“Don’t be sorry, turns out we weren’t really a good match. I might take you up on that offer, though I gotta apologize in advance cuz Potions really isn’t my best class.” Dean saw the castle up ahead and wondered if the main doors were even still open at this time of night.

Castiel shrugged a little bit. “That’s fine, Charms isn’t my best class. I’ll help you in Potions, you help me in Charms. Fair?”

He frowns as he considers this. “You sit pretty far from me in Charms, don’t you?”

Castiel tilted his head, shrugging. “I can always move seats, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Right, well… I guess that’s a pretty fair trade then.” Dean remembered what Lisa told him, and stopped in front of the castle doors. “Hey, can I ask you somethin’ without you getting all offended?”

He raised his eyebrows, nodding. “Go for it.”

Dean took a deep breath. “In the first Dark Arts lesson of the year, you pulled some pretty serious magic out of your ass. A lot of the students thought that you…” he trailed off, searching for the right words and not finding them. 

He squinted, confusion in his words as he speaks, “That I what, Dean?”

Dean sighed heavily, frustrated because he shouldn’t have to be the one to ask questions like this. He barely knew the guy, and now he’s about to ask one of the worst questions you can ask someone. “Look, man, word traveled pretty fast about how good you were with the Imperius Curse, and how…  _ willingly  _ you used it. There somethin’ to that or were you just following orders?”

Castiel closed his eyes briefly. “No one else was willing to do it. I did the stupid spell, but I didn’t do anything bad to anyone. I stopped Lisa from killing her friend and I calmed everyone else down. I wouldn’t-,” he shook his head. “I didn’t hurt anyone.”

Dean nods, biting his lip and looking at the door. “Yeah, to be honest, that’s what I figured. You don’t strike me as a Death Eater. You’re an ass, sure, and sometimes a little conceited… but I had a feeling those stories were bullshit.” He reached forward and tried the door, relief flooding him when he found that it was open. He was eager to get inside after being out in the chilly October air all day, so he held the door open and waved Cass in. “C’mon, before we freeze to death out here.” 

  
  


_**Castiel** _

Castiel kept his eyes on Dean the entire time he was speaking, entering the castle after him. “Well, thank you for having some faith in me.”

“Yeah, I’ll deny it if you ever tell anybody.” He closed the door behind them and headed for the stairs, but stopped again, turning to him. “Can I ask you one more question?”

_ I didn’t realize we were playing twenty questions.  _ “Sure, Dean. What’s up?”

“At the Choosing… with Romilda Vane. Was that you?” Dean’s eyes weren’t accusatory at all, on the contrary; they looked almost hopeful. 

He closed his eyes. “Are you going to get me in shit?”

Dean frowned. “I didn’t know you were capable of swearing.” He shook his head. “Nevermind, I honestly didn’t expect you to answer anyway. I’d have done it myself, but my damn mind blanked and I couldn’t remember the counter-jinx.” 

“You were looking for  _ liberacorpus.”  _ He watched Dean face-palm, and then continued. “It was me, Dean. I did it and I-,” he opened his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t regret it. I’d do it again.” 

“It was bullshit what they did to her. Neville, too.” He shoved his hands in his pockets 

and looked down. “I’m sorry about your friend.” 

He tilted his head and watched Dean. “How did you know he was my friend?”

Dean kicked at the ground lightly, looking down. “Doesn’t really take a rocket scientist, you know? I saw you when he stood up, then I saw you try to say somethin’ to him afterwards.” 

He breathed out, tilting his head back and forth. “Yeah, I’m sorry too. You know, I wanted to say more. There was so much I wanted to say but the only thing I could manage was ‘good luck’. Good luck with what? There’s no winner, there’s no grand prize.”

“No, there’s not. There’s either death or a fate worse than death, if you ask me. But if you managed to get two words out, that’s better than what I did. All I could do was stare at them. It was…” He shook his head and kept his gaze lowered, before clearing his throat. “Anyway, I guess I’ll see you in Charms then. You playin’ Quidditch again this year?”

He hadn’t really thought about it, but he nods. “Yeah, I suppose so. Might be a nice distraction. Are you?”

He nods once. “Yeah, that’s about the only thing I’ve got to look forward to anymore.” Dean glanced at the staircase and then looked at Cass. “I’ll see you on the pitch before Charms, then. Our teams practice at the same time this year.” 

Castiel smiled slightly, nodding. “I’ll see you then.”

_**Dean** _

When Dean made it back to the common room, Finnick was waiting for him. Dean rolled his eyes; the warning from Castiel replaying in his mind. 

“Where were you?” Finnick’s tone wasn’t harsh, but it wasn’t entirely pleasant either. 

“Look, Finn, not that it’s any of your damn business, but I went for a walk. Ended up meetin’ up with some other people, okay? You guys aren’t my only friends.” 

Finnick didn’t look like he believed him, but he thankfully didn’t press him. Dean didn’t want to explain how he’d ended up out past dark with Castiel Novak.  _ Sure, the guy was nice enough tonight, but he’s still a tool. A tool that everyone else seems to think is a budding Death Eater.  _ But something about the look in Castiel’s eyes that night when they had talked about the Choosing made it pretty clear to Dean that Castiel wasn’t a Death Eater at all… he was just a boy doing his best to protect those around him. And Dean could understand that better than anyone, couldn’t he? 


	6. Pinball Wizard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where progress is won and lost and won again... or... lost and won and lost again, however you want to look at it. The baby steps are taken.

** _Dean_ **

The rest of October and the first part of November passed without much incident. True to their agreement, Dean had been helping Castiel with Charms lessons and Castiel had been attempting to teach Dean how to brew a decent potion. They didn’t talk much about themselves, which suited Dean just fine. They’d fallen into a comfortable pattern of silence and insults, with the occasional helpful hint thrown in. Thanks to Dean, Castiel could cast a shield charm so powerful it would knock everyone in the surrounding area to their feet. Dean’s potion-making skills hadn’t advanced quite as much, but that’s probably because he’d given Castiel absolutely nothing to work with. It was by far his worst course, and he had less than zero natural talent for it. But with Castiel’s insistent, whispered instructions, Dean had successfully brewed Hiccoughing Solution just the other day. It wouldn’t be enough to get him through his O.W.L. exams, but it was at least a start. 

It wasn’t awful, spending time with Castiel Novak. Not like he thought it would be. Cass had dragged Dean to the library a couple of times for some late night study sessions, but Dean hadn’t really done a whole lot of studying. He could now draw a map of Cass’s eyes, if that counted for anything. 

Dean had found out almost by accident that he was attracted to more than just women. He’d attended a sleepover just after he coming home from Hogwarts a couple of summers ago, and a very nervous Benny LaFitte had kissed him square on the mouth during a game of Spin the Bottle. While Dean had prepared himself to be grossed out, it never happened. He had watched Benny sit back down and let his mind wander to what it would be like to kiss him again, or to hold him. Dean never did find out, because somehow, his father found out about it before he could work up the courage to ask if Benny liked it too. Dean shuddered involuntarily at the memory of his dad’s disappointment and rage at the news that his son had allowed another boy to kiss him. He had hidden a lot of questionable bruises in his life, but those ones might have been the worst. To this day, Dean wasn’t sure if it was fear or respect that kept him from pursuing Benny, or any other guy after that… but the memory of that kiss stayed with him, more vivid than any he had of kissing girls. It was that same mix of fear and respect that would keep him from admitting to himself or anyone else just how captivating he found Castiel Novak’s eyes.

**\-------------------------**

The night of Quidditch tryouts, Dean was nervous. He wasn’t sure why; this would be his 4th year as one of the Gryffindor Beaters. He knew he wouldn’t even need to try out again, their captain Oliver Wood had assured him of that on more than one occasion. Dean was fair, however, and knew he’d never feel like he deserved to be on the team if he wasn’t the best at what he did every single year. So, for three years in a row, he had tried out for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, and for three years, he and Sirius served as their Beaters. He didn’t really expect this year to be any different, but that didn’t stop the ball of nervous tension that wound its way into his stomach and settled there. 

He was sitting in the Great Hall, picking at the steak-and-kidney pie that the Hogwarts House Elves had served up for dinner. Sirius and Finnick were arguing over whether or not having the best broom on the market would really make a difference if the flyer was talented enough. Dean chimed in. “It makes a difference, but not enough of one to actually win games. Bottom line, is you could be riding a damn Firebolt, but if you don’t know how to use it, you’re just gonna embarrass yourself.” 

Finnick looked around Sirius and grinned at him. “Says the guy riding whatever he can get his hands on. What were you on last year, a Cleansweep Five?” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “It was a Seven, and you knew that cuz I out flew you on it at least a dozen times.” 

“Better just be happy your job relies more on strength than speed, eh?” Finnick was still grinning, and Dean knew he wasn’t serious. Finnick had taught Dean everything he knew about flying when he got to Hogwarts. Sure, he’d learned the basics in his first year flying lessons, but Finnick was something of a legend on a broom. He’d taught him more than one trick that he’d used in matches to great effect. 

“Yeah, yeah, let’s just hope you can take your eyes off your own reflection long enough to find the damn Snitch tonight.” Dean returned Finnick’s grin, and some of his nerves disappeared. If nothing else, in just a couple of hours he’d be on a broom, flying with his friends again. After the year they’ve had so far… he definitely needed it. 

**\-------------------------**

As Dean walked to the Quidditch Pitch alone that night, his mind wandered to the twelve tributes and the Mudblood Games. He wondered how many more of them had died, and how much longer it would take before one of them found the portal out. His mood progressively sank the closer he got to the pitch, and he chewed on his bottom lip. 

Sirius caught up with him about halfway there and immediately noticed his mood. “Lighten up, we’re about to be  _ flying  _ again! No sour faces in Quidditch.” Dean rolled his eyes at this, but Sirius continued. “Seriously, you fly like shit when you get all moody like this, Winchester. Who hurt you?” 

Dean stopped walking. “The next person that asks me that is gonna find out  _ why  _ I’m a damn Beater.” 

“Sounds abusive, Dean.” Sirius was smirking, but the comparison did nothing for Dean’s mood. “You should probably see a therapist.” 

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the Gryffindor changing rooms. Once inside, Dean swapped his school robes for his Quidditch ones, and immediately started to feel better. While Sirius changed and the rest of the Gryffindor team filed in, he walked out to the broomshed. Dean knew he’d never own a broom of his own, and he was mostly fine with that. The ones the school supplied were okay; they got him into the air and that’s what mattered. He eyed the Cleansweep Seven he rode last year and the Comet 260 next to it. To him, the Cleansweep was a better broom, so he opted for the Comet. Oliver already knew how well Dean could fly; he had nothing to prove on that front, so he figured he’d leave the Cleansweep to someone else that might need it. 

With the Comet 260 in tow, he made his way out onto the Quidditch Pitch. Oliver Wood was already standing in the middle of it and addressing a small crowd of students that Dean assumed were there to try out. 

Dean walked up just as Oliver was explaining the positions they had open. “We’re looking for two Chasers tonight, we lost one to the Choosing and another because he’s no longer at Hogwarts.”

“And a beater!” Dean added. “You guys will have to beat me out for it, but my position is technically open.” He looked around and cringed internally when he saw that Lisa showed up for tryouts.  _ Four full years, and she never showed a damn bit of interest in Quidditch. She didn’t even come to a single one of my matches, and now she wants to be on the team? Figures.  _ He recognized a couple other faces and he knew the rest by name. 

Oliver stood on his toes to peek over everyone’s heads. “The rest of the team is coming now, I’ll make the introductions before we start.”

Dean stepped back to make room as the rest of the team came up, brooms in hand. “I’m Oliver Wood, Keeper and Quidditch Captain.” Oliver pointed to Dean and Sirius. “This here is Dean Winchester and Sirius Black, Beaters and general arseholes. You’ll either learn to love them or you’ll wish you’d never met them, but don’t let that scare you. They’ll be your greatest defense if you’re chosen as a Chaser.” Dean stepped back a little further to make room for Finnick as he pushed his way to the front. Oliver continued, “this, as I’m sure you’re all  _ very  _ aware, is Finnick Odair. -- Yes, yes, that rhymed, I know.” A couple of the younger kids had sniggered at him, but Oliver kept going. “He’s our Seeker, and arguably the best one I’ve ever seen. We’ve never lost a match with him Seeking for us. Quidditch Cup winners four years running now… would have been five, but I couldn’t get Professor Mills to sign off on a first year playing.” Oliver seemed to get lost in an unpleasant memory of trying to get the tough-as-nails Professor to budge. Dean cleared his throat to bring Oliver back to reality. “Right, and lastly… your fellow Chaser, Jo Harvelle. She’s a bit of a Quaffle-hog but she rarely misses and she’s quick, I’ve never seen someone dodge bludgers like she can. You will learn a lot from her, should we choose to make you part of our team.” 

Dean’s eyes swept over everyone again, and he locked eyes with Lisa. He was aware that Oliver was talking about him again but made no move to acknowledge it. “Now,” Oliver was saying, “I know Winchester told you that his Beater spot is up for grabs - I’m going to tell you the same thing. I want every person on this team to feel like they deserve to be here, and it would seem that he won’t settle for being anything but the best Beater Gryffindor has to offer. I expect all of you to have the same mindset as we begin. Other teams, such as the Hufflepuffs, might not take this seriously... but we do.” 

Dean yawned, Oliver had a tendency to drift off topic, and his pep talks sometimes went on for so long that they were late to matches. Oliver must have heard the yawn, because he cut himself off in the middle of his next sentence and instructed everyone to mount their brooms. 

This definitely woke Dean up. He straddled the broom and felt the smooth lines of the handle under his fingers. He knew the next part would be Chaser tryouts, so he didn’t wait for further instructions. He kicked off from the ground, the bitter November wind whipping at his face. He  _ loved  _ it. He loved the chill in the air, how light he felt. He loved the feeling of soaring high and far away from any problems he might have left on the ground. He loved the rush he felt when he waited until the last possible second before pulling out of a dive. Dean  _ loved  _ flying. It was such a stark contrast to how he felt about muggle airplanes that it almost made him laugh. 

He flew several loops around the Quidditch Pitch as the would-be Chasers started warming up. He could see them close to the ground, passing the Quaffle back and forth to each other to get a feel for it. When Lisa made a particularly graceful catch off of a horrible throw, his stomach lurched. He hoped that Oliver understood enough about what had happened between him and Lisa not to let her on the team, but he knew better. Oliver wasn’t kidding when he said he expected them to want to be the best, because Oliver himself expected that out of each and every member of his team. 

He watched as a couple of the other students took some practice shots at the unguarded goal and then looped around to find Sirius. 

He pulled his broom up next to his best friend’s. “You think they’re ready?” 

Sirius grinned. “I honestly don’t care if they’re ready or not. Would you care to do the honours this year?” 

Dean nodded and flew down to the box where they kept the bludgers. They were rattling around in their restraints, aching to be set free. Dean tossed Sirius’s bat up into the air just as he whooshed past and grabbed it, becoming nothing but a dark streak as he flew to the other side of the pitch. 

He grabbed his own bat, and then one after another, he released the two Bludgers. They whirred as they sped off after Sirius. Dean kicked off from the ground again and flew over to the hoops, his bat raised. He let out a slow breath and listened for the frantic sounds of a bludger. It didn’t take long before he saw one careening toward the back of Jo Harvelle’s head. He intercepted it easily, knocking it away from her. 

Jo turned and smiled at him. “Thanks!” She looked away from him quickly as Lisa yelled her name, and Jo caught the Quaffle that was hurled at her. She ducked around one of the younger kids that seemed to be frozen in place on his broom, and she scored. Dean cheered, even though the goal was unguarded and this was tryouts. He had almost forgotten how good Jo really was. 

After everyone took their turns dodging the bludgers Dean and Sirius hurled at them and scoring a handful of times a piece, Oliver blew his whistle and signaled everyone back to the ground. 

Dean landed reluctantly, he always hated dismounting because it meant he wouldn’t get to fly anymore. He smiled reassuringly at a 3rd year girl named Anael, who really hadn’t done well at all. The clear frontrunners, to Dean’s eye, anyway, were a girl named Ginny Weasley, and to his dismay - Lisa. He turned to Oliver. “My turn yet?” 

“Yes, yes, it’s your turn.” Oliver faced a couple of burly-looking sixth years. “Your goal is simple. Use the bats in your hand to hit the bludgers through the hoops as many times as you can in a 5 minute span. The person that gets the most through, is our new Beater. 

Dean relaxed. His time flying around during the Chaser tryouts had completely dissipated any lingering bad feelings he may have had. If he only had to compete against two others, he wasn’t worried about it. They were big, sure, but being quick and agile was just as important to being a Beater. Nothing about either one of the newcomers suggested they were quick  _ or  _ agile. 

Jo had taken the top 3 Chasers over to the other set of hoops for additional trials, and he thought he caught sight of the Golden Snitch hovering near where the commentators sat. He looked around at eye level for Finnick, but didn’t see him. 

Sure enough, when Dean turned his eyes back to the sky, Finnick was a blur of red and gold. He watched him chase the Snitch for a few moments, distracting himself from the first Beater’s tryout. 

When Brutus landed, Oliver announced that he’d hit only a measly three bludgers through the hoops. Dean’s personal record was 18, and he relaxed even further. He didn’t catch the other boy’s name as Oliver sent him up to take his turn, but he paid attention this time. 

_ One, two, three… seven, eight… damn, this kid’s good.  _ Dean took off into the air, now too nervous to keep his feet on the ground. He hovered close to the others, making sure to stay out of the way. When Oliver blew the whistle, this mysterious Gryffindor had hit a whopping thirteen bludgers through their targets. 

Now Dean had reason to be worried. Sure, his best run obliterated that number, but Dean had definitely  _ not  _ been at his best for the last few months. He landed on the ground in front of Oliver, eager to get this over with one way or another. “My turn?” 

Oliver nodded. “If you’re sure, then yes.”

Dean didn’t want to have this argument again, so he kicked off and flew up to the hoops. He adjusted the grip on his bat and let out a long breath, trying to block all of the other sounds of the pitch out of his mind. He heard the whizzing of a bludger, but waited. When Oliver blew his whistle to signal the start of his five minutes, Dean swung. He connected with the bludger and it hit it’s target. Dean hadn’t waited, of course, bludgers were tricky and liked to change paths without much notice. The second he had hit it, he had raced after it. He glued his eyes to it and attempted to anticipate its movements. 

The bludger curved left, but Dean was ready. Over and over again, he hit the bludger towards the hoops. He stopped counting after he’d successfully launched the 6th one through the far right hoop. He was either going to do better than the mammoth on the ground, or he wasn’t. But here and now? This was freedom. This was purpose. Hit the bludger, aim true. Chase it. Connect again. And again, and again. Nothing but wind and the repeated release of stress with each time he swung his bat. For the first time in months, he wasn’t thinking about the Choosing, or the Games, or Voldemort. He wasn’t thinking about Romilda Vane’s embarrassment, or Neville Longbottom’s terror. He wasn’t thinking about his father, or how much he missed his mother. He wasn’t thinking about how scared he was for Sam, or about how quickly things with Lisa fell apart. And he  _ certainly  _ wasn’t thinking about the colour of Castiel Novak’s eyes. 

When Oliver blew the whistle again 5 minutes later, Dean was surprised. He looked around him and remembered where he was. He flew back to the ground, the nervous little knot coming back in full force. “How’d I do?” 

Oliver Wood was staring at him like he had a pair of green antennae coming out of his head. “Yo, Earth to Oliver. Can you read me, Captain?” Dean waved his hand in front of Oliver’s face. 

“22, Dean. You did it  _ twenty-two times.”  _ Dean grinned at the count. “Broke my own record then! Guess I’m still the best.” He turned to the two that tried out and clapped Brutus on the shoulder. “Sorry, fellas. Better luck next year.” 

The one whose name Dean didn’t get spoke up. “Oy, how come you tried out but the other one didn’t? Bet I coulda beaten him. I deserve a spot on this bloody team, same as you.” 

“No, that ain’t how it works. I volunteered to give up my spot if someone could prove they were better than me. Neither of you managed to do that, so I’m still in. That sounds pretty fair to me.” Dean had been expecting some backlash when it came to Sirius not following the same code, and he had been ready for it. 

As if he knew he was being talked about, Sirius flew down and landed. “Did you win?” Dean nodded, and the beefy kid spoke up again, this time directed at Sirius. 

“You and me, up there, now.” He didn’t wait for Sirius to respond, he just took off into the air with his bat. 

Sirius shook his head and turned away from him. “There’s always one, you know? I expect that kind of poor sportsmanship out of the Slytherins, but I thought we were better than that. Hopefully Oliver’s got what he needs from those Chasers so we can call it a night, I’m ready to be --” His words were cut off as Dean lurched forward and tackled him to the ground, taking the brunt of the hit from the bludger that had been  _ thwacked  _ at them. Pain seared through Dean’s elbow and his vision spotted as he rolled off of Sirius. 

Sirius stood quickly, his eyes wide. “OY! What kind of dirty, underhanded, piece of--” His words were cut off once more, this time by Finnick placing a hand over his mouth. From the ground, Dean had seen him land just moments after the bludger hit him. He let his head drop back to the grass as he held his very broken elbow. 

“Seriously, somebody get that guy outta here, would ya? I’ve only got one more good arm, I can’t keep jumpin’ in front of you idiots.” 

Finnick, apparently satisfied that Sirius wasn’t going to say anything else, released Sirius and helped Dean to his feet. “Come on, you need to go to the Hospital Wing. 

Dean groaned. “First Quidditch injury of the year, and I was already on the damn ground when it happened. That’s just peachy.” 

He heard Oliver Wood screaming at Beef Boy as he let Finnick lead him out of the Quidditch Pitch and towards the Hospital Wing. “I hope Wood kicks his ass.” 

**\------------------------**

A couple of hours later, he was back in the Gryffindor Common Room, his elbow healed. He sat with Sam, Finnick, Sirius, Oliver, and Jo. Sam had made Sirius tell him the story of what happened eight times while Dean had been getting his broken elbow mended by magic. 

“It’s not a big deal. It was a bludger, not a friggen bullet.” He rubbed the spot where it had hit him, and found himself thankful he was usually on the giving end of that. “Who made it, anyway?”

It was Jo who answered, her voice softer than usual. “You did, obviously. Ginny Weasley’s our new Chaser, and so is… so is Lisa Braeden.” Jo watched Dean as if she expected him to explode. 

Dean wasn’t sure he had it in him to be mad about it, or even apprehensive. He nodded. “She’s a good flier and her aim was spot on. We could use her.” He paused, running over the new team in his mind. “So it’s Wood, Odair, you, Lisa, Ginny, me and Sirius? That’s honestly not a half-bad lineup, we’ve got a decent shot at the Cup again this year.” 

Sam grinned broadly. “Of course you do, and I’m going to be your biggest supporter. Just wait until you see what I got for your first match.” 

** _Castiel_ **

Castiel made his way to the Quidditch pitch as he looked around. He noticed a few other Hufflepuffs he wasn’t really friends with. Johanna Mason, the captain, for example. Castiel joined the semi-circle that was formed and someone clutched onto his hand. He looked down, a smile spreading across his face. “Hey, Rue!”

Rue smiled bashfully, looking up at him. “Hi, Castiel.”  
“What’s going on? Are you going to try out for Quidditch too?” He asked her, letting go of her hand and messing up her hair.  
She huffed and fixed her hair, but nodded. “Yes! I’m going to make the team this time!”

He grinned at her enthusiasm and crouched down so he was at the same height as her. “You think so?”  
“I know so, Castiel,” she stated, matter-of-factly.

“Well, I wish you the best of luck, then. How are your classes?” He stood back up.

“They’re hard. Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology suck,” she frowned, looking down at the ground.  
“Hey,” he tilted her chin up. “I can help you, if you’d like. I know a thing or two about magical creatures and plants.”

She cracked a small smile. “Thank you.”

He grinned at her and nodded, just as Johanna Mason stepped forward. “Alright, listen up, Hufflepuffs. We’ve got a lot of spaces to fill this year. We need our keeper, two chasers, a beater and our seeker. Everyone knows how Quidditch works, yeah?” Everyone nods in agreement, but Johanna still felt the need to explain.

After her explanation, she nodded. “Good, I’m glad everyone understands. Grab the equipment for the spot you want to try out for, and get out there.”

Castiel made his way over and hopped onto one of the brooms, holding the broom steady for Rue. “Hop on.”

She rolled her eyes and hopped on the broom next to him. “I know how to get on a broom, Castiel.”

Castiel watched her fly off, because this time last year she definitely could not. He chuckled quietly to himself, watching her fly around. He pulled his eyes from Rue, notching Raphael. He was flying around, holding a bat.  _ Of course he’d be trying out for beater. Suits him just right.  _ He recognized a few other people; Nymphadora Tonks, Annie Cresta and Charlie Bradbury. He smiled as he maneuvered his broom to the three rings, parking himself in front of it.

“Is everyone ready?!” Johanna shouted as she began to unlock the bludgers from their case. “3… 2… 1…, go!” 

Cass kept his eyes on the bludgers as they immediately took off, both headed for Annie. Cass kept himself still in front of the rings, watching as Charlie flew around aimlessly, looking for the golden snitch. “Castiel!”

He turned in time to catch the Quaffle, throwing it to Rue who took off with it. He watched her with a grin before he noticed who the other Keeper was.  _ Hael Vetter? She’s never once shown interest in Quidditch.  _ His thoughts were interrupted by cheering, as Rue flew around in circles on her broom, smiling wide. “I did it! I scored!”

Castiel laughed, watching her. “You did, Rue. Good work.” Rue had always been special to Castiel. Since her first day at Hogwarts when he was a third year, she took a liking to him. Maybe it was because he offered her the seat beside him when she was sorted into Hufflepuff, but either way, he became something of a protector to her. From what he was told, she didn’t have the easiest life before Hogwarts, both of her parents were dead and she was living with her aunt and uncle who barely acknowledged her. She’d been teased for her size, she was much smaller than many of the other Hufflepuffs, but Castiel made sure to put an end to that.

Nymphadora caught the Quaffle in mid air and sped off towards the other set of rings. He watched as she faked to the left, but threw it right down the middle, successfully scoring. He noticed the frown on Hael’s face, so he offered her a smile when they made eye contact. He wasn’t paying much attention and ended up letting a goal in, scored by Raphael. “Perhaps you should focus on the game and not your wannabe girlfriend, Novak.”

Castiel scoffed, watching as Raphael winked at him and then flew away. He rolled his eyes when Raphael avoided a bludger attack from Johanna and then successfully caught the Quaffle, throwing it to Annie this time. 

The mock Quidditch game went on for quite some time, before Charlie finally caught the golden snitch, causing Castiel’s team to win. “We did it!” 

Castiel grinned, as he flew towards the circle in the middle. He turned to see Rue on her way over, but she never quite made it because she was hit with a bludger in her side. She instantly broke down in tears when she fell off her broom and hit the ground. Castiel glared at the culprit, lowering his broom.  _ Raphael, why am I not surprised? _ He landed on the ground beside Rue, carefully removing her broom from underneath her. “Shh, shh, hey, you’re okay.”

“It hurts,” she sniffled, trying to sit up. “My arm and my leg, they’re broken.”

He scanned her injuries before he pulled out his wand. “Novak, is she okay? Does she need to go see Madam Harvelle?” Johanna called, lowering herself to the ground. Madam Harvelle was Jo Harvelle’s mom, and the matron of Hogwarts. She was a very competent nurse, having been in the position for at least a quarter of a century.

“No, I can do it,” he nodded. He touched Rue’s broken leg with his wand and spoke quietly, “ _ Ferula _ !” Instantly Rue’s leg became bandaged, forming a tight splint. He repeated his actions, watching as Rue’s arm became wrapped up tightly as well. “How’s that feel, Rue?”

She sniffled and nodded, sitting up. “I’m okay. Thank you, Castiel.”

She leaned into his side and Castiel smirked a little bit. “Hey, Rue, you wanna see something funny?”  
“Yes,” she nodded, as Castiel freed himself from his broom and stood up. He noticed Raphael walking away and called to him. 

“Hey, Raphael, wait!” Once Raphael turned, Castiel pointed his wand at him. “ _ Tarantallegra _ !” Instantly Raphael’s legs began to jerk around, looking as if he was dancing. Castiel laughed, turning back to Rue and the others who were laughing as well. 

“What the-! Castiel, knock it off!” Raphael yelled, continuing his awkward, forced dance. “STOP!”

Castiel tilted his head with a grin, pointing his wand at him again. “ _ Herbifors! _ ” Through Raphael’s jerking dance moves, flowers started sprouting off of his body. 

“CASTIEL!” Raphael boomed, twirling in uncontrollable circles now. “I said knock it off!”

“Apologize to Rue,” Castiel stated simply, crossing his arms. 

“It wasn’t me!” Raphael exclaimed, his face turning red. 

“It was, I watched you do it,” Castiel stayed calm. “Apologize.”  
“Fuck, fine! Rue I’m-” Raphael’s voice is cut off by Professor Hanscum coming up behind him. 

“What the heck is goin’ on here?!” Professor Hanscum exclaimed, putting a stop to Castiel’s charms on Raphael. Raphael stopped spinning as the flowers disappeared, but he leaned over and puked. “Castiel, care to explain?”  
Castiel looked at Raphael, then back to Rue, then to Professor Hanscum. “Raphael hit Rue with a bludger on purpose and she got hurt when she fell. I was just trying to cheer her up.”  
“At the expense of your peers? That’s not how us Hufflepuffs work, Castiel. Apologized to Raphael immediately. Rue, dear, let’s go on down to Madam Harvelle, okay?”

Castiel waited until Rue and Professor Hanscum were gone, not having a single intention to apologize to Raphael. Raphael smirked, watching him. Castiel brushed by him without a word and headed inside to the Hufflepuff common room.

He’d only been in there a few moments by himself, before the rest of the Hufflepuffs who tried out for the Quidditch team arrived as well. He noticed Rue walking in and waved at her with a smile, as she made her way over and sat down beside him. “Hey, Castiel.”

He smiled at her. “Hey. How are you feeling?” 

“I’m okay,” she paused, looking down. “I’m sorry I got you in trouble.”

“It’s not your fault, Rue. He deserved it,” he grinned and leaned down, closer to her ear. “Besides, it was kinda fun anyways.”

“Alright, guys!” Johanna shouted to get everyone’s attention. She stood up on a chair so everyone could see her before she spoke again. “I’ve put together the team. Our three Chasers will be Nymphadora Tonks, Annie Cresta and Rue Marsh.”  
Rue jumped up and grinned. “I made the team! Castiel, I made the team!”

Castiel laughed, nodding. “You did, you deserve it, Rue. You played well.” After a few moments Rue calmed down and sat beside him again, still with a grin.

Even Johanna Mason couldn’t stop herself from smiling at Rue. “Now then, our two Beaters are obviously myself; Johanna Mason, and Raphael Helm. Our Seeker will be Charlie Bradbury, and our Keeper will be Castiel Novak. Any questions?” 

Castiel grinned, nudging Rue gently. “Hey, I made it too!”

She smiled and gave him a high-five, before Johanna spoke again. “Then I’m done here. Congratulations to everyone who made it and better luck next time to the ones who didn’t.” She hopped off the chair and left the common room.

“I believe you owe me an apology, Novak,” Raphael stated, approaching him with his arms crossed.

“I’m not apologizing to you, Helm. You’re the one who was an assbutt.” Castiel shook his head, annoyed all over again.

“It’s fine, Castiel. We all know you’re just bitter and irritable because you’ve never had sex. On second thought, have you ever even  _ kissed _ a girl?”

Castiel tensed, balling his fists at his sides. “Shut up, Helm. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Stop being a dick and just go.”

Raphael shook his head. “What, are you  _ gay _ or something?”

Castiel stood up abruptly, his fist connecting with Raphael’s nose. “I said  _ shut up _ .” He pushed Raphael back and out of the way as he left, headed to the boys dormitory.

\-------------------------------------------------

The next morning Castiel woke up in a piss-poor mood. He grumbled as he rolled out of bed and got dressed. If he could, he would’ve stayed in bed all day, but he was  _ starving _ . He tucked his wand into his robes and quickly fixed his hair before leaving his dorm, headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. A few Hufflepuffs tried to talk to him, but he simply held up a hand and kept walking. Raphael’s comment had really affected him, more than he was willing to admit. He sauntered into the Hall and sat down at the front table facing the hallway, waiting for his breakfast. It appeared in front of him and he immediately started to eat, finally beginning to feel a little bit better.

Until he saw Lisa Braeden and Dean Winchester walking together and-  _ were their arms linked? _ Not that it mattered, perhaps they worked out their issues. Castiel should be happy for them, but he wasn’t. At most, he was…  _ indifferent. _ He couldn’t help but eye Dean up and down, wishing for just a moment that he could have an  _ ounce _ of the confidence Dean had. He rolled his eyes when Lisa walked off and noticed Dean walking towards him. He took another mouthful of his breakfast, pretending not to notice him.

Dean sat down anyway, oblivious to the fact that Castiel was trying his best to pretend like he didn’t exist. “Hey, haven’t seen you in a while. How’d tryouts go?” 

He nodded once, swallowing his food before he answered. “Fine, how’d yours go?”

Dean grabbed a piece of bacon off of Castiel’s plate. “Pretty good, can’t really complain. Better outcome than I was expecting, honestly.” Dean glanced over his shoulder, chewing his stolen food.

Castiel very obviously cleared his throat. “What does that mean?”

Dean took another bite and shrugged. “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, right?” 

He squinted and took a sip of his orange juice. “I guess.” 

Dean nodded, still chewing. “So uhh… where’s Hael? You two have been spendin’ a lot of time together, right?” 

Castiel narrowed his eyes. “We’re  _ friends,  _ and friends spend time together.”

“Yeah, but she’s into you, right? Practically everyone knows it.” 

Castiel groaned. “Yes, but why does that have to mean that  _ I  _ am into  _ her?  _ I’m not, I’m not into her, and I would prefer if everyone would quit suggesting that I am.” 

Dean fell silent, and then reached over and took another slice of bacon, biting it. It crumbled, some of it sticking to his chin, which he didn’t seem to notice. “So you a Keeper again, then?”

Grateful for the subject change, he couldn’t stop the small smile that formed on his face as he picked up his napkin and reached to wipe the bacon off. He stopped when he remembered Lisa. His smile turned into a neutral face as he shrugged. “I am, yes. You’re a beater, I assume?”

Dean furrowed his brow at the napkin in Castiel’s hand. “What, do I have somethin’ on my face?” He reached up, swiping his thumb across his chin, causing little bits of bacon to fall. 

“You did, you don’t anymore. I was going to give you this napkin, but you clearly you didn’t need it.” He wiped off his own hands. “Why not get your own breakfast?”

“Can’t stay, I told Lisa I’d….” Dean paused, looking like he doesn’t want to say what he was going to. “I told her I’d help her out with somethin’. She came in to grab some of those cinnamon rolls, and I saw you sittin’ here by yourself and thought I’d say hi.” 

_ Help her out with something.  _ He licked his lips, speaking nonchalantly. “What, uh, what does she need help with?”

The corners of Dean’s mouth turned down quickly, as if his face was shrugging. “I don’t know if she wants me broadcastin’ it around, you know? Just…” he seemed to choose his words carefully, “somethin’ that I’m in a unique position to help her out with.” 

Castiel couldn’t tell whether he was mad or upset. Probably both. He stands up quickly. “I’ve got to go, have fun with Lisa.” With that, he took off back to his dorm and changed right back into his pajamas, crawling back into bed. He’d get up for Charms class tomorrow. Maybe.

** _Dean_ **

Dean watched Castiel abruptly leave with a curious expression.  _ What the hell did I do this time?  _ He shook his head slightly, then grabbed the remainder of the bacon from Castiel’s plate and set off to find Lisa. He made his way to the Gryffindor Common Room and tried to remember the newest password to the portrait. “Uhh… Poughkeepsie?” The portrait swung open 

and Dean walked into the common room, finding Lisa in one of the chairs closest to the fireplace. “Hey, you ready for your Quidditch lesson?” 

She looked around quickly and then nodded. “Keep it down, Dean. It would be a little embarrassing if people found out I joined the team without even knowing how the game is played.” 

Dean smiled lightly and took a seat across from her. “It’s honestly not hard, I mean, you already have basic knowledge. You know the positions and all the balls, right?” When Lisa nodded, he continued. “So, your job is gonna be doing exactly what you did in tryouts. Get the Quaffle around the Keeper and through the hoop. That’s it, that’s all you gotta worry about. Me and Sirius will keep the bludgers away from you, and Finnick will handle the Snitch. Each time you put the Quaffle through a hoop, it’s 10 points. About the only other thing I honestly think you need to know is to pay attention to the scoreboard. If the other team is up by too many points, Finnick won’t be able to catch the Snitch yet or we’ll lose anyway. That means you and Ginny and Jo will need to work double time to put some points on the board.” 

Lisa seemed to absorb this information and then nodded. “That sounds easy enough, people act like it’s such a big deal. Like McClaggen, the guy that broke your elbow.” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “Lis, please let that go. I think you worried enough in the Great Hall this morning over a perfectly healed bone, we don’t need to go down that road again. Did you need anything else? I’m sure you’ve got other things to do, and I’ve got about 50 essays I need to write if I wanna have any hope of passing this year.” 

Lisa smiled awkwardly at him. “Thanks for being so cool about this, Dean. I was worried when I tried out that you were still angry with me, or that what happened between us was going to make things weird if I made the team.” 

He sighed, standing up. “Look, we weren’t a good match, it’s not a big deal. There’s no reason we can’t be friends, and certainly no reason we can’t be good teammates.” 

Some of the awkwardness faded from Lisa’s smile, replaced by genuine warmth. “Thanks, Dean.” 

Dean waved, walking back up to the boys dorms and pulling out his parchment and quill. He sat down and started working.

**_Castiel_ **

Castiel had finally reached his breaking point, with all of it. With his classmates constantly making fun of him for never having a girlfriend, with Hael’s  _ exhausting  _ advances, with the thought of Dean Winchester strutting around the castle holding Lisa Braeden on his arm like some sort of trophy now that they were back together...yes, Castiel was done with  _ all  _ of it. He paced the Hufflepuff common room that night after he helped Rue study for Herbology, trying to think of a way to tell people about who he really was without dealing with the onslaught of fun that would be had at his expense. He knew there were others like him around Hogwarts; just the other day he saw a Slytherin fifth year -- Jack, he thought was his name -- sneaking out of the broom cupboard on the first floor looking very much like he’d just spent hours playing Quidditch - hair tousled, robes askew, face flushed. Castiel hadn’t thought much of it until he saw another Slytherin boy follow Jack out of the room, looking much the same. Still, it  _ was  _ a broom closet… so perhaps it was Quidditch? It was the kiss they stole in the corridor that removed the doubt from Castiel’s mind. He didn’t know enough about them to tell if they were out-of-the-closet in the figurative sense as well as the literal, but if there were two, and  _ Slytherins  _ at that, surely there were more? Surely no one would judge him too harshly….

Hael walked into the common room, interrupting his thoughts. His insides twisted; he really wasn’t prepared to have to shoot her down again so soon. He smiled half-heartedly at her as she took a seat near where he was wearing lines into the floorboards.

“You could have just told me you liked guys, Castiel. I would have stopped bothering you 3 years ago.” There was no anger, malice, or even humor in Hael’s voice as she spoke the words that finally forced Castiel to stop pacing. She sounded… sincere.

His eyes widened almost painfully as he whirled around to face her. “What? I don’t -” He cut himself off when he saw her usually harsh features soften. Castiel crumpled in on himself slightly and said, with a level of quiet dejection he didn’t know how could muster, “How did you know? I’ve never told anyone. I’ve never even had a…” He flicked his eyes around the room, and was relieved to find that they were utterly alone. “You know what I mean. I’ve never had one.”

Hael smiled at him and nodded knowingly. “I can tell. If you had, you’d have figured out by now that there’s nothing to be ashamed of. As disappointed as I might be, the fact remains that you’re entitled to love whoever the hell you want to love, and at the end of the day… it’s no one’s business but your own.” 

He sighed, knowing she was right, but still… he couldn’t shake the feeling of terror he got every time he allowed himself to think about coming out. He shook his head, dropping his eyes to the floor and resuming his pacing. “You don’t understand, Hael. I’m respected… looked up to. You know what some of the others will do if they find out… especially Raphael and his goons.”

Hael scoffed, “Since when does the Great Castiel Novak care what Raphael thinks?” When Castiel didn’t immediately respond with anything other than a shamed look, she stood and walked over to him, taking his hands in hers. “Look, Castiel. If you’re honestly  _ that  _ worried about it, maybe I can help.”

Castiel eyed her skeptically, but didn’t pull his hands back. “How? And most importantly,  _ why?”  _ Hael just smiled mischievously and winked. “Do you know the empty classroom on the fourth floor, the one on the way to Charms?” When Castiel nodded, she continued, “meet me there tomorrow, about 15 minutes before our Charms lesson begins. I have a way to fix your problem”.

**\------------------------**

No matter how much he pestered her, Hael wouldn’t give him the details of her plan. She assured him it was safe and would do the trick, and eventually he had decided to leave it be and get some sleep.

He now found himself pacing outside of the empty classroom she had designated, intermittently checking his watch. He’d shown up 10 minutes earlier than she’d asked him to, but his Herbology lesson had ended early thanks to a nasty accident involving one of the Ravenclaw students and a Venomous Tentacula, so he had found himself with some unexpected free time.

When Hael finally showed up, Castiel had worked himself into a frenzy over what the plan might be, and what on earth it had to do with an empty classroom.  _ Was she going to try to do a spell to make me straight? Is there a book in there that explains how to navigate coming out as a gay half-blood in a world full of pureblood worshippers and wizards like Voldemort? _

As it turned out, her plan was much more… hands on. She led him into the room without so much as a wave in greeting to him, and immediately started messing up his hair and clothes. This alarmed Castiel more than anything, and he tried to shoo her away.

She dropped her arms and scowled at him. “I’m not going to hurt you, will you just stand still for a minute?”

Castiel huffed, but stood still, letting her do whatever she needed to. She tugged and unbuttoned and ruffled various bits of him for several minutes, and then began doing the same thing to herself. Castiel still had absolutely no idea what she was doing, but he’d already allowed it to go on this long, so he might as well see it through. When they both looked like they’d spent the night in a cave, she pulled him close to the door and pressed her ear against it, saying quietly, “Okay, the corridor should be filling up soon with students trying to get to Charms. When you start to hear footsteps, I want you to moan. Can you do that? Do you even know how to?”

Castiel had the good sense to look offended by that, but chose not to respond as such because he finally realized what she was doing. “You’re going to make it seem like you and I…” Hael simply nodded, shushing him so she could listen better. Soon enough, he heard footsteps rounding the corner down the hall. He panicked, and his moan came out more like the sound a dying bird would make. Hael looked mildy off-put, but joined in with one of her own. Louder, and decidedly…  _ hotter.  _ Getting into it now, imagining the look on Raphael’s face when it was revealed that Castiel was the one in here with Hael, Castiel let out another moan. This one was more confident, and earned an approving nod from Hael. She pounded her open hand against the door in a steady rhythm, just hard enough to mimic the sound of a human body being pressed repeatedly against the old wood. He heard hushed voices outside, and someone asked loudly, “Who’s in there?” but it was a voice Castiel didn’t recognize. He felt wild, almost. Exhilarated, and he wasn’t even doing anything but faking it. Maybe that’s what made it so much… fun?

Hael squealed, and then said his name in a way he’d never heard anyone say it. It was almost enough to make him feel something different towards the girl he’s been denying for years, but not quite.

**_Dean_ **

Outside of the empty classroom next to Charms, Dean walked slowly up to the group of people gathered around the door. “The hell’s goin’ on? Charms is that way.” He pointed down the corridor towards the room they actually needed, but was quickly shushed. Dean squinted at the shusher, then pushed his way towards the front, just as Castiel Novak opened the door and stepped out, Hael close behind him. Dean stopped dead, his hand outstretched towards the door handle. He blinked, looking from Castiel to Hael and then back again, noting absolutely every piece of clothing that was out of place, and the way Castiel’s hair was sticking up at odd angles. He didn’t miss the flush in Castiel’s cheeks either, and he was convinced that at this exact moment, it mirrored his own. He locked his eyes with Cass’ impossibly blue ones, and refused to lower his gaze. “Mhm... right, you’re not  _ into _ her. You were just  _ in _ her.”

**_Castiel_ **

Castiel’s eyes widened, and he could feel his heart rate speed up. He shifted back slightly on his feet, wanting to disappear back into the room. His eyes were locked on Dean’s and he found he couldn’t advert them, as hard as he may have tried. “I wasn’t- this didn’t-,” he paused, unsure of how to describe this. 

Dean held his gaze for a moment longer, then he turned on his heels and yelled over his shoulder, “So Novak got laid, nothin’ to see here, folks. It was bound to happen sometime, let’s move it along. I’ve been late to a lot of classes in my day, but never cuz someone  _ else  _ was havin’ sex.” It almost looked to Castiel as though Dean was forcing his feet to keep going; his steps looked stuttered as he walked towards the door to Charms. He watched as Dean yanked it open and then ushered all of the onlookers inside. He glanced once at Cass before following the others in and letting the door close behind him.

Castiel closed his eyes and tilted his head to the ground. He was both thankful for Dean at this moment and completely and utterly embarrassed. He looked over to where Hael was, but she was gone. He supposed she probably ran as soon as she got the chance. He wanted to say something to Dean, but he didn’t even know where he’d begin, so he stayed quiet, fixing his clothing and hair as he followed the others into the classroom.

**_Dean_ **

Dean watched Castiel shuffle into Charms class awkwardly; his hands shoved in his pockets, his eyes glued to the ground. He didn’t look in Dean’s direction as he took the seat next to him. 

Dean looked over at him, all sex hair and flushed cheeks, and was still a little confused from what happened in the hallway. “You know, if you want my help with this class, you’re gonna have to look at me.” 

Castiel visibly tensed, but looked to him and nodded once. “I know.”

Dean sighed; just like that they were back to the awkwardness he thought they shook after Hogsmeade. “Yeah, great. Just follow my lead and you’ll be fine, with any luck we can get outta this without a whole lot of actual talking.” 

Cass didn’t answer him as the door to the classroom swung open, and Professor Effie Trinket made her grand entrance. “Settle, settle, Charm’s class is about to begin!”

Dean was glad he didn’t have to try and force a conversation with Castiel; he wasn’t really sure how to explain what had happened outside or why he got so mad about it.  _ If the guy wants to get laid, who the hell am I to give him shit for it?  _ He watched Professor Trinket as Castiel pulled out his book, flipping open to what looked like a random page.

“Today we will be focusing on one main charm, but I do have a revision quiz from the past few weeks.” She nodded once and made eye contact with Dean. “Mr. Winchester, do you happen to know the incantation for the Levitation Charm?”

Dean wiped his hands on his robes.  _ Of course this crazy bitch picked me first.  _ He glanced at Castiel, for some reason wanting to impress him. “Which one? There’s uhh…  _ Wingardium Leviosa,  _ and  _ locomotor,  _ and if you’re tryin’ to lift a body, you could use  _ Mobilicorpus  _ or  _ Levicorpus.”  _

She seemed impressed with Dean’s answers and nodded. “Very good, Mr. Winchester. Can you demonstrate  _ Levicorpus  _ for the class? Perhaps with the help of Mr. Novak?”

Dean’s face fell, after what they’d witness that Charm do in the Choosing, he wasn’t eager to repeat the scene. He looked at Cass nervously, but Castiel simply nodded and stood. Dean stood as well, pulling his wand out of his robes. Castiel pursed his lips and said quietly enough that Dean was sure he was the only one who heard, “this is just like my Dark Arts lesson. Just do it.” 

Dean took a deep breath and pointed his wand at Castiel. “ _ Levicorpus!”  _ Castiel’s body swung as he was lifted into the air by his ankle. He hung upside down and Dean could tell he was fighting the urge to try and free himself, and his face was a deep shade of red.

Dean clenched his jaw and looked at Professor Trinket. “Can I let him down now?”

The class  _ ooh’d  _ and  _ ahh’d  _ as they watched and Professor Trinket nodded. “Gently, yes.”

_ Gently?! I swear this spell is more jinx than it is charm, there’s no “gentle” way to set someone down from it.  _ He searched his mind and once again, the counter-jinx wasn’t coming to him. He watched Castiel sway helplessly, and Romilda Vane’s face replaced his in Dean’s mind. It came back to him in a rush, and he muttered, “ _ liberacorpus!”  _ as he lunged forward, half-catching Castiel as he fell. “Thanks,” Castiel said quietly, standing up and brushing off his robes. 

“Very good, Mr. Winchester,” Professor Trinket grinned. “You as well, Mr. Novak. Well done. Now, I want you to break up into pairs and focus on making your textbooks move.”

Dean looked at Castiel with raised eyebrows. “We’re already here, you wanna just partner up?” 

Castiel didn’t meet his eyes as he shrugged and closed his book. “Do you think she wants us to use  _ locomotor?  _ It seems like  _ Wingardium Leviosa  _ would be a bit too far back, even for a revision quiz.” 

Dean blinked at him. “What did you just say?” 

Castiel blinked right back. “ _ Wingardium Leviosa  _ was years ago, Dean. It was one of the first charms we learned.” 

“If it was one of the first charms we learned… why are you saying it wrong?” Dean fought a laugh, keeping his facial expression as neutral as possible. 

“What are you talking about, I’m saying it fine.” 

Dean chuckled quietly. “Cass, it’s “levi-OH-sa, not levio-SAH.” 

Castiel rolled his eyes. “That’s what I said.” 

“No it’s --” Dean cut off, chuckling still. “Let’s do the other one, I’m sure that’s what she’s looking for. Try it, just add the name of the thing you’re tryin’ to move after it.” 

Castiel licked his lips, which drew Dean’s attention. He snapped his eyes quickly to the textbook as Castiel waved his wand and said, “ _ Locomotor textbook!”  _ The book lifted off of the table and stayed stationary in the air. Dean nodded. “Good, Cass. Now make it actually move.”

He watched as Castiel placed his tongue between his teeth in concentration, and guided the textbook back and forth through the air with his wand. Dean grinned despite himself. “You don’t actually need my help in this class, do you?” The corner of Castiel’s mouth turned up slightly but he gave no other answer. He lowered the book back to the table and Dean repeated Castiel’s actions, successfully moving the book. 

They traded back and forth a couple of times, and then sat down and looked to Professor Trinket. 

“Alright, alright! Settle!” Professor Trinket eyes seemed to scan the students, landing on Raphael and Remus. “Mr. Lupin, Mr. Helm, my instructions were to move the  _ textbook _ , not each other. Very disappointed.”

Neither Raphael Helm or Remus Lupin seemed bothered by her disappointment at all. Dean avoided eye contact with Remus, there was still something odd about him that he couldn’t place. Oddly enough, he noticed Castiel was avoiding eye contact as well, but not with Remus. “Raphael steal all your pumpkin pasties or somethin’, Cass?” His face turned red again, and Dean wasn’t surprised when he didn’t get an actual answer.  _ Typical.  _

Professor Trinket drew the class’ attention back to her as she spoke. “Now, for the revision quiz. If you think you know the answer, raise your hand,” she paused, tilting her head before asking the first question. “What is the incantation for the shield charm?”

Both Dean and Castiel raised their hands, as did several other students throughout the room. 

“Wow, okay then, ummm… Mr. Pettigrew? Your answer, please.”

Dean frowned as he lowered his hand, and then groaned audibly as Peter Pettigrew said, 

“ _ Lapifors?”  _ Castiel face-palmed next to him. 

Dean watched as Professor Trinket squinted at him. “ _ Lapi-  _ no. No, Mr. Pettigrew, that turns things into rabbits. I am concerned that you don’t know that. Anyone else have a  _ decent _ guess?”

Dean lost his fight against his laughter. “ _ Protego,  _ Professor.” 

“Ah, yes, there we go.  _ Protego _ , very good,” she shifted her eyes to Peter, the tone in her voice very sarcastic. “I can see how you may have confused those two, Mr. Pettigrew.” She paused, before speaking again. “Next question, then. What does the spell  _ Fumos _ do?”

Castiel raised his hand, so Dean kept his lowered. Less people seemed confident this time; only a couple of other people had their hands up. 

“Mr. Novak, your answer, please. Please don’t disappoint me.”

Castiel licked his lip and said with a face much straighter than Dean could have kept, “that is the incantation for the Smokescreen Spell, which might come in handy if one were to find themselves needing a cover for escape after accidentally turning someone into a rabbit instead of producing a shield.” 

Professor Trinket seemed to struggle to hold back laughter as she looked to the ground. “You’re correct, Mr. Novak. Good work. Next, then. Who would make the best use of the charm  _ Alohamora _ ?”

Once again, both Dean and Castiel’s hands were in the air. Almost every hand in the room was this time, which Dean was irritated about. This was a spell he had taught several of them last year when they were doing some questionable things after hours. 

“Mr. Winchester, your answer?”

He lowered his hand. “ _ Alohamora  _ is a spell used to unlock doors, so I guess the answer would be someone that needs to get somewhere they probably shouldn’t be getting.” 

“Can you give me someone specific?”

He frowned.  _ Is she askin’ me to rat people out?  _ “You mean like a specific example? Uhh..” He paused, trying to think of a non-mischievous answer. “Maybe if you lock your house keys inside of your house and need to get in?” 

She nodded to him. “You are correct, yes. I was looking for thief, but your example works as well. Well done.” She cleared her throat. “Which spell has the opposite effect of  _ Lumos _ ?”

Every single hand in the room was up this time. 

Professor Trinket scanned the room. “Miss. Vetter, do you have an answer?”

Dean watched as the girl Castiel was just…  _ occupied  _ with stood up a little straighter and answered, “ _ Nox! _ ” Dean leaned in and whispered to Castiel, “At least you picked a smart one.” 

And suddenly Dean was in pain because Castiel had kicked him under the desk. “Shut up, Winchester.”

“Very good, Miss. Vetter. Well done. Lastly… what is the primary use of the charm  _ Scourgify _ ?”

Once again, a handful of arms shot up in the air. As Dean raised his, he cocked it out to the side enough to elbow Castiel. 

Professor Trinket narrowed her eyes at Dean. “Mr. Winchester, keep your hands to yourself, please. Mr. Novak, do you have an answer?”

Dean lowered his hand and crossed his arms, glaring at Castiel because he’s the one that started it. Castiel kept his eyes on Trinket as he said, “It is used to torture people.”

Effie frowned a little bit, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Novak, but your answer is incorrect. At least it made more sense than Mr. Pettigrew’s answer. Mr. Winchester, would you like to help him?”

Dean was still glaring at Castiel, but decided to be nice. “I think he said that because the word ‘scourge’ refers to a whip, which is used for punishment. It doesn’t make any sense that the incantation  _ scourgify  _ is actually used for cleaning. I learned that one pretty early on, there was no way I was doin’ dishes when I had a magic friggen wand.” 

Castiel looked down but smiled a little bit, as Professor Trinket nodded. “Cleaning would have been just fine, Mr. Winchester.”

“Hey, the more you know, right?” Dean shrugged.

Professor Trinket ignored him. “Next week we will be focusing on learning the incantation for the banishing charm. You’re all dismissed.”

Dean tucked his wand away and put his book back in his bag. He could hear Castiel doing the same next to him. Dean’s eyebrows were furrowed; he couldn’t understand why him and Cass couldn’t just pick a side. He turned to face him, slinging his bag over his shoulder. 

“Guess I’ll see you in Potions?” 

Castiel nodded and shrugged slightly. “Yes, I suppose.” 

_ Good enough.  _ Dean looked away from Cass’s stupid blue eyes and left the room. 


	7. Christmas All Over Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Underage drinking warning

**_Castiel_ **

December had always been Castiel’s favourite time of year, especially at Hogwarts. Every year by mid-December the school grounds were covered in snow, and with the snow came snowmen and snowball fights. There were giant trees that seemed as if they touched the sky decorated by the most beautiful Christmas baubles and decorations. The Great Hall was picturesque and the festive Christmas dinner was something Castiel couldn’t compare to any other meal. 

The school population seemed to die down around the holidays since most kids went home to their families. Castiel, however, had never once went home for Christmas. Honestly, he didn’t want too. He enjoyed having the massive, empty castle to himself - at least that’s what it felt like. The only other person he shared his time with at Christmas was Rue Marsh and that’s because there was no way he was letting her go back home. He did his best to make Christmas as special as he possibly could for her, knowing that with the way she grew up, she probably didn’t have many good ones. 

It wasn’t quite Christmas Day yet, so the school was still bustling with people and creatures. He made his way into the Great Hall and grinned slowly, taking in the scenery. No matter how many times he’d come in and out of this room, he always noticed something different. This time, it was a few sparkly presents in the corner of the room. He knew they were probably just for decorations, but it made the room much more homey, nonetheless. He slid into a seat beside Charlie Bradbury, as she smiled and nudged him. “Hey, Novak. What’s up?”  
He shook his head, nodding hello to Nymphadora Tonks. “Nothing, really. I thought I’d eat something before I went outside.” As he spoke, a plateful of food appeared in front of him, accompanied by a butterbeer. He silently thanked whoever or whatever it was that always made the food appear and began eating.  
“Are you joining the snowball fight later?” Charlie asked through her own bites of food. “I heard it’s going to be massive this year, apparently Dean Winchester organized it.”

He raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “I wasn’t really planning on going outside just to have snow thrown at me, thanks. I don’t understand how that’s enjoyable.”  
It was Nymphadora’s turn to shrug now. “I mean, it _is_ fun. It’s like… fighting your friends, but with something soft that can’t hurt them.”

“Something soft and _ridiculously_ cold,” Annie Cresta added as she sat down on the other side of Castiel. “There’s so many other things that you can use snow for.”  
Charlie squinted. “Like?”  
“Like… building snowmen, for example,” Annie stated, sipping her butterbeer as soon as it appeared.

“Or making snow angels, sled riding, making snow forts…” Castiel added, taking a bite of his Cauldron cake. “I’ll partake in all of those activities, but I think I’ll sit the snowball fighting out.”

And that really was Castiel’s plan, until Rue Marsh showed up, standing at the end of the table, rocking back and forth on her heels. “Castiel?”

He shifted his eyes over to her, tilting his head. “Are you okay, Rue?” He watched her nod before he spoke again. “What’s up, then?”  
“Can we go to the snowball fight later? I hear it’s going to be the best one yet!” she grinned, as Castiel sighed with a small smile.  
“Yes, alright. We can go to the snowball fight,” he muttered, still holding that smile. 

She grinned. “Yay! I’ll go get my snow gear on!” With that, she ran off, causing Castiel to shake his head as he turned back to the rest of them.

He met Charlie’s narrowed eyes first and then Nymphadora’s. “What?”

“When  _ Rue _ asks you to go, you all of a sudden want to go. When we ask, you’re all ‘the snow’s to cold, blah blah blah.’ We’re onto you, Novak,” Charlie said playfully.

Castiel shrugged. “What can I say?” He stood, looking down at them with a grin and a fake serious voice. “I like her better than all of you.” He took off running before any of the remaining three could get a word in.

**_Dean_ **

Dean had spent the better part of the last week recruiting people for the biggest snowball fight that Hogwarts has ever seen. He’d invited  _ everyone,  _ at least half the school. He had even invited people he’d never spoken to before.  _ Don’t need to be on a first name basis with someone to hit ‘em in the face with a ball of ice.  _ About the only person he knew that he hadn’t invited was Castiel. 

After their encounter in the corridor outside of Charms, things had been awkward. The more time that passed, the more irritated Dean got about it. He didn’t even know why - he just  _ was. _ He had a feeling that word would have spread to him and he’d show up anyway, but at least Dean wouldn’t be the one to ask him. 

He’d lost count of the amount of times he’d walked the castle grounds in search of a place to set up their fortress. He had planned to make a game of Capture the Flag out of it, but instead of an actual flag, the teams would be searching for a mystery Christmas present. He had Lisa and Jo handle those, he’d always been horrible with gifts for people he  _ actually _ knew - how was he supposed to figure out what virtual strangers would like? 

He met Jo out on the grounds about an hour before they were supposed to begin. “Hey, you got everything ready?” 

Jo glared at him. “As if you can’t see the two  _ giant  _ packages blocking most of my face.” 

Dean chuckled. “Y'know, I honestly thought you just got better lookin’ all of a sudden.” Jo reached out and tried to smack him at that comment, and the gift on top started to fall. He reached out and grabbed it, tucking it under his arm. “Are one of these better than the other one? I want the crappy one on our side in case the other team wins.”

Jo adjusted her grip on the box she was still holding and shook her head. “Nope, they’re exactly the same. We made sure of it, just so no one complained about it not being fair. They’re nothing spectacular, just some things that might brighten up someone’s otherwise very lonely Christmas.” She looked pointedly at him, and he scoffed. 

“I’m not lonely. Besides, I’ll still have Sammy.” 

Jo looked away. “He uhh… he didn’t tell you yet?” 

Dean frowned instantly. “Tell me what?”

She seemed to  _ seriously _ contemplate whether or not it was worth being the one to tell him whatever it was. “Alyssa’s family invited Sam to come spend the holidays with them this year… and he agreed. They’re leaving tomorrow, like everyone else.”

He sucked on his teeth. “Yeah, no, of course he told me that.”  _ Lie.  _ “I was just… seein’ if you knew.” Jo looked like she definitely didn’t believe him, so he changed the subject quickly. “Let’s just get our home base set up here, alright? Less talking, more planning.” He pointed at an area just in front of a line of thick trees. “How about you set us up here? I’ll see if I can find Finnick, he’s supposed to be the Captain of the other team. He’s been out here all morning building a snow wall.” He rolled his eyes, turning and taking the other gift with him.

It only took him a few minutes to locate Finnick’s giant wall of snow. He muttered under his breath, “Jesus Christ… how the hell are we supposed to get around  _ that?”  _ He walked as close to it as he could, noticing it was roughly 7 feet high. “Hey! Finn! C’mere, I got the… flag.” 

Finnick came up behind him, startling him. “Why are you yelling at a wall, Winchester? You finally cracked?” Dean turned to see Finnick grinning. He handed the box to him. 

“Oh buddy, I cracked a long time ago. Just take your damn present and get ready, the others should be showin’ up soon. Meet me in the middle though, okay? We gotta pick teams.” Finnick nodded and Dean took off at a run back to Jo, where he started making snowballs and stacking them behind the fort she was building. 

About a half an hour later, Dean had successfully made about 6 dozen tightly packed snowballs. Sam, Lisa, Alyssa, and Jo’s brother Ash had joined them and helped Jo finish the fort, which passed Dean’s inspection with flying colours. They began making their way towards the middle ground; it was time to meet up with the others.

“Alright, now there’s no rule against using magic here, so one of us is going to have to stay behind to keep a shield up around this place. They can’t win if they can’t get in.” 

Alyssa volunteered. “I’ll do it!  _ Protego,  _ right?” Dean nodded. 

“Yep, that’ll do it. Keep in mind this is just a game, alright? A game we need to win at absolutely all costs.” Dean’s face was entirely serious, but Sam laughed anyway. 

“Okay, Dean. We get it. You’ll put dungbombs _ everywhere  _ if we lose.” Sam winked at Alyssa and then walked over to Dean. “Co-Captains?”

Dean nodded. “You know it, little brother. There’s nobody I’d rather go into battle with.” He clapped his hand on Sam’s shoulder, who then pointed behind Dean. 

“Shit, Dean, did you invite the whole school?” 

He shrugged as he turned. “Pretty mu--” he stopped short, because it honestly did look like the whole school turned up. It was probably closer to 50 people, but to Dean, that was more than he’d expected. He cursed under his breath. 

He saw Finnick make his way through the crowd, coming to stand next to him. Dean glanced at him. “You ready for this?” 

Finnick nodded, then faced the crowd. “Attention ladies and ghouls, it’s time for the Battle Royale of snowball fights. Many of you will die horribly embarrassing deaths today, but don’t let that get you down. This is more of a social death than a physical one, unless you get on McClaggen’s bad side.” 

Dean glanced to the kid that broke his elbow during Quidditch tryouts, and watched him crack his big, beefy knuckles.  _ I will never understand how that oaf became a Gryffindor.  _

Finnick grinned at McClaggen. “Now, if we’re all ready to start, we’re going to pick teams. Each team will have one goal… get ahold of gift-wrapped box hidden in the opposing team’s fortress. You find the gift before the other team finds theirs, you win. You get hit by a snowball, you’re out. Simple as that. Everyone ready?” 

Dean watched as several people nodded, and then he stepped forward. “Alright, since this was my brain-child, I get to start us off. Which one of you lucky bastards wants to be the first on the winning team?” Dean’s eyes scanned the crowd. “Where the hell is Sirius?” 

Sirius poked his head around Newt Scamander and his bowtruckle, then jogged over to Dean and high-fived him. “Awesome,” Dean said. “Finn, go ahead and pick your first loser.” 

Finnick rolled his eyes. “Well, since Newt’s right there, I’ll take him.” Newt shrugged and joined Finnick’s side. 

It continued on like that for a few rounds; Dean successfully securing Lisa, Jo, Ash, Alyssa and Sam, just like he planned. Finnick took a Slytherin girl named Lilith, a Ravenclaw named Padma, Charlie Bradbury, Johanna Mason, and Raphael Helm. 

Dean squinted at Finnick’s last choice. “You got a hard-on for the Hufflepuffs or somethin’? Why don’t you just claim the whole damn house?” 

Finnick shrugged. “I have my reasons.” 

Dean then chose a couple of Ravenclaw boys, Arthur Ketch and Mick Davies, while Finnick selected another set of Hufflepuffs. 

_ Speaking of Hufflepuffs…  _ his eyes scanned the remaining students, and frowned slightly when he didn’t see --  _ there he is.  _ Castiel Novak was standing with a much smaller girl who Dean was pretty sure was named Rue. She was grinning broadly, and Dean glanced at Finnick before choosing Rue for his team.  _ Pissing off two birds with one Rue.  _ Sure enough, Castiel looked agitated that Rue was chosen for Dean’s team. 

Finnick, however, didn’t seem to be bothered. “I’ll take the Carrow twins, if they’re still here…” Alecto and Amycus Carrow ducked out from behind Brutus and McClaggen and made their way to Finnick’s side. 

Dean picked a couple of Gryffindors that he’d seen sneaking around the castle at night. They were twins too, with wildly red hair. He was pretty sure they were seventh years, but he didn’t know their names. 

Back and forth they went, picking people until only a handful of students remained. Dean shifted, starting to think he was going to end up with Castiel on his team whether he wanted him to be or not. He chose Brutus and McClaggen, and Finnick picked yet another set of Hufflepuffs. 

Dean saw an opportunity, and he took it. “Novak! You’re on Finnick’s team, apparently he’s into Hufflepuffs.” He grinned widely as he saw a tall, lanky figure running across the grounds. Dean pointed at him and yelled, “Potter’s mine!” 

Ginny Weasley joined Finnick’s team, as did a girl named Annie. 

That left just a Ravenclaw named Beetee and a Slytherin named Cato, who rounded out Dean’s team. 

He clapped his gloved hands together. “That’s all, folks. Get to your side of the grounds and me and Finnick will send up red sparks when our team is ready to move. Let the games begin!” 

Each team split, racing towards their snow forts. Dean’s face was flushed from the cold, but he was excited it was finally time.  _ This is Hogwarts. This is magic. Not the Choosing, not the Mudblood Games. This, right here. An enchanted snowball fight on the grounds of the coolest place in the world.  _

He readied his team, and sent up a spiral of red sparks into the air. A couple of beats later, he saw Finnick’s sparks, and he gave the signal for his team to move. 

Dean had placed an Undetectable Extension Charm on the bag he usually carried his books in, and had enchanted his snowballs to stay frozen inside of it. He took off at a run, heading the long way around to the wall of snow. He crouched down behind a snowman that some of the first years must have made, and set his bag next to him. He grabbed a snowball in each hand and peeked around the corner. He spotted Johanna Mason first; she was pacing in front of the gap to the far right side of the wall, where Dean was. He waited until he was sure he had the timing of her paces down and snuck up behind her just as she turned away from him. 

The snowball hit her right between her shoulder blades, and she yelped. “Damnit! Who?!” She whirled around to see Dean, who was grinning and racing past her to take out Ginny Weasley. 

He dropped down, ducking a snowball that was thrown at him by Newt, but was pleased to see Sam get revenge for him. “Attaboy, Sammy! Take the other side! Where’d Sirius go?!” 

Dean heard a  _ thwack  _ behind him, and turned to see that Annie Cresta had just taken a snowball to the side of her face, her arm still cocked back in preparation of throwing a snowball right at Dean. “I’m right here!” Sirius said as he closed the distance. “You know I’ve always got your back.” 

James joined Sam and they headed toward the left side of the wall. Sirius and Dean stayed to the right. “We need to figure out how to get around this damn thing.” He eyed the line of opposing team members that were guarding the weak spots, and noticed Castiel among them. Dean crouched down and grinned. “Hey, Sirius… wanna see somethin’ funny?” 

Sirius kneeled next to him. “Winchester… I’ve been waiting for you to do something funny for nearly 5 years. It’s about damn time.” 

Dean grabbed another snowball from his stash, then pulled his wand out. He did the familiar old swish and flick motion as he muttered, “ _ Wingardium Leviosa!”  _ The snowball he had been pointing his wand at rose into the air. “ _ Ventus!”  _ A blast of wind shot out of his wand, propelling the snowball forward. Dean watched as it got closer to hitting Castiel and then -  _ thwack.  _ It had made contact, just not with Castiel. Padma Patil had stepped in front of him at the last second. “Damnit,” he muttered again. 

Sirius looked at him. “That was supposed to be funny? You muggle borns have the  _ weirdest  _ sense of humor.” 

“Wasn’t supposed to hit her.” Dean narrowed his eyes and tried again. This time, Castiel spotted him. 

“I can see you, Winchester,” Castiel called over to him. “Do it, I dare you.”

Dean grinned to himself from behind the snowman. He winked at Sirius, then turned, pointing his wand at the ground just in front of Castiel. “ _ Alarte Ascendare!”  _ He wasn’t even sure it would work, because he’d only seen it used on solid objects before, but he whooped triumphantly when a large puff of snow was projected up off the ground and covered Castiel as it settled.

Castiel huffed and narrowed his eyes at Dean as he shivered. “That was hardly fair, Dean.”

“All’s fair in love and war,  _ Novak.”  _ Dean took off at a run, grabbing his bag. Sirius was hot on his heels. 

“Would you quit flirting with the competition and focus! You could have actually gotten him out there!” Sirius was yelling loud enough for half the grounds to hear, and Dean stopped dead. 

“I wasn’t… that wasn’t….  _ pffft. _ Just worry about you and I’ll worry about me, got it?” He whipped a snowball at a Hufflepuff on Finnick’s team and it hit home. “See? Not distracted, and certainly _ not _ flirting.” 

He glanced at the sky; he’d given Alyssa instructions to shoot up more red sparks if the other team found their gift.  _ Nothing yet, good.  _ A safe distance away but still within eyesight of Castiel and the wall, he turned back to face them. He watched as Sam and James made a beeline for the left side of the wall, and James was too slow to dodge the snowball Castiel threw at him. Sam made it past, and Dean’s stomach flipped. He smacked Sirius. “Dude - look at Sammy, he’s gonna make --  _ damnit.”  _ Barely five feet from the wall, Sam was hit by Amycus Carrow. 

Both Carrow twins took off towards Dean’s team’s fort, leaving just Castiel and Charlie Bradbury guarding the wall in front of him. He looked around, picking up his bag and moving again. He walked, knowing he was just far enough away that he’d have plenty of time to dodge a snowball, but close enough he’d be able to catch snippets of their conversation if they chose to talk about a plan. 

He saw a group of kids on Finnick’s team running towards him.  _ Great, I’m about to be friggen sandwiched. Where the hell is Sirius?  _ He took off at a run, trying to get back to the snowman. He was spotted, still too far away to dive for cover. Several snowballs flew at him at once, and he pointed his wand at them and said quickly, “ _ Arresto Momentum!”  _ The snowballs started moving much slower, buying Dean the time he needed to scramble back behind the snowman. He slid as he landed, soaking his pants and robes. But at least he was safe… for now. 

He saw Sirius standing off to the side, a large, white blotch on his robes.  _ So much for plan Sirius. C’mon, Dean. Think. How to get around a bunch of idiot Hufflepuffs and take down a giant wall of snow at the same time? You need to create a distraction. But where’s the rest of your damn team?  _ As if he’d sent that thought out telepathically, Brutus and McClaggen both came charging out from the treeline, yelling and throwing snowballs at the group of Hufflepuffs that had been chasing him.  _ There’s your distraction, just do it.  _ He turned, sticking his head out around the snowman and pointing his wand at the wall, a safe distance away from Castiel and Charlie. “ _ Lacarnum Inflamarae!”  _ A ball of fire shot out from Dean’s wand, and blasted a hole in the wall of snow. Dean scrambled to his feet.  _ Too late to change course now.  _ He said the spell again, taking out another section of wall. He didn’t glance at Castiel or Charlie as he sprinted at full speed towards the present that was now visible. 

**_Castiel_ **

Castiel jumped back from the blast, but noted Dean sprinting towards the present and quickly made a snowball. He pointed his wand at Dean and spoke loudly. “ _ Colloshoo! _ ” He made sure Dean was successfully stuck, before speaking again, pointing his wand at the snowball. “ _ Wingardium Leviosa!”  _

“God damnit, Novak, quit sayin’ it wrong! If you’re gonna hit me, just friggen hit me!” Dean yelled, trying and failing to move his feet. 

With a flick of his wrist, Castiel maneuvered the snowball towards Dean, successfully pelting him with it. He smirked to himself, before he took off in a sprint towards the wall guarding the present. As soon as he made it there, he heard Alyssa. “ _ Periculum! _ ”

He looked up at the sky to see the red sparks erupt from her wand, before he noticed who appeared from behind the wall. A very flushed Newt appeared, present in hand. Castiel grinned, looking back at Dean who was still stuck to the ground. “You fought valiantly, Dean. Really, you did.” He pointed his wand at him again and said, “ _ Skurge! _ ” Whatever ectoplasm was securing Dean in place disappeared as Castiel grinned.

The second Dean’s legs were free, he ran at Castiel and tackled him into the snow. “You’re a cheater, Novak! You know how easily I coulda just Confunded you two and taken the damn present?!” 

Castiel laughed, mimicking Dean. “All’s fair in love and war,  _ Winchester. _ ”

Dean furrowed his brows, still on top of Castiel where they landed in the snow. “Now you’re a cheater  _ and  _ a copycat. What’s the matter, you scared you’d never beat me fair and square?” 

He shrugged, trying to squirm out from beneath Dean. “I didn’t even want to play in the first place, and you forced me to be on Finnick’s team.” He breathed out, flailing his legs. “Would you get  _ off _ of me?” 

Something like panic flashed in Dean’s eyes, and he quickly scrambled off. Dean turned away and wiped off his robes. “Yeah, whatever. If you didn’t want to play, you shouldn’t have come. It’s not like you were actually invited anyway.” Dean stormed off, heading back towards the castle. 

Castiel frowned because first,  _ ouch, what did he mean I wasn’t invited? There were invitations?  _ He watched Dean go as he sat up, eventually making it to his feet again. He dusted himself off and bent over to pick up his wand, tucking it in his robes again. He looked at Sirius, still frowning. “Did I do something wrong?”

Sirius raised his eyebrows at Castiel. “Does  _ existing  _ count? Who knows what Dean’s ever thinking, your guess is as good as mine.” 

Sam came up and looked between them. “Hey, have you guys seen Dean? Apparently someone told him something that wasn’t really their place to tell, and I think he’s really pissed at me.”

Sirius shrugged and jerked his head towards Castiel. “I don’t know, ask his boyfriend. He was running back towards the castle after these two took a tumble in the snow. I’ll see if I can find him… sounds like I’m the only one here he  _ doesn’t  _ want to hex.” Sirius took off after Dean, disappearing quickly from sight.

Castiel looked to the ground and mumbled. “I’m not his boyfriend. I think Dean’s just a sore loser.”

Sam looked offended. “Hey, man. That’s my brother, and he worked really hard organizing all of this. He’s not a sore loser, he just found out he’s going to be spending Christmas alone, and I wasn’t even brave enough to tell him myself. Have some compassion, would you?” Sam shook his head, then jogged after Sirius. 

Castiel couldn’t find his words. He watched Sam disappear as well, before Newt came up beside him. “Castiel, it’s alright, you didn’t do anything wrong.”  
“Yes, uh, thank you, Newt.” Castiel turned to him. “Good work, by the way.”

Newt looked at the present in his hands, before offering it to Castiel. “Here, take it. I’m going home for Christmas anyway, and I know you always stay here. Maybe it can help cheer you up... or something.”

Castiel shook his head once, but then realized Newt was right. He smiled slightly and took the present. “Thank you.”

Newt smiled back and then turned, making his way into the castle. Castiel followed behind him, feeling less festive than he ever had.

**_Dean_ **

Saying goodbye to Sam and his friends had been hard, but he’d understood. If he’d had somewhere to go, he might have done the same thing. He remembered that he’d no longer be going to Lisa’s for the summer, and his mood sank even further as he rolled out of bed on Christmas morning. 

Dean used to _ love _ Christmas, but it had been several years since he’d had a real one. His dad was always gone hunting, and his mom worked two or three jobs at a time to make up for the fact that hunting didn’t pay the bills. Most Christmases, it was just him and Sam. He didn’t mind, but now, he didn’t even have Sam. His dorm was completely empty, as was the foot of his bed. He rubbed his shoulder, glancing around and wondering if he was wrong, and it wasn’t really Christmas morning at all. 

He wasn’t wrong, there were piles of gifts at the foot of everyone’s bed but his own. He knew not to expect anything from Sirius, he was just as poor as Dean was. And his parents sending him something was a joke at this point; this was his fifth Christmas at the castle, and no such present ever came. His mom said it was because they weren’t sure how to use Owl Post, and his dad had forbidden her from finding out. If he got a present at all, he got it once he was home for the summer. 

He was surprised, however, that Sam hadn’t left him anything. He guessed his brother must have just forgotten in his excitement of spending the holiday with a real family for once, so his happiness for Sam quickly outweighed his self-pity. He slid out of bed and dressed in his normal clothes; jeans, boots, and a dark green flannel. He ran his hand through his hair, which was about as close to brushing it as he ever got, and made his way down to the Gryffindor common room. 

He rolled his eyes when Brutus was the only other one down there. “Are we the only two here?”

Brutus did nothing but grunt in response, and Dean raised his eyebrows as he shook his head. “Yeah, good talk. I’m gonna go grab breakfast, I guess you could join if you want.” Brutus made the same grunting noise but didn’t move, and now Dean couldn’t tell if that was supposed to be a yes or a no. He waited a moment longer before heading down to breakfast alone. 

When he got into the Great Hall, there were about a dozen kids scattered across the four House tables. He recognized two of them, but he didn’t want to intrude - he was pretty sure they were an item. He sat down by himself towards the top of the Gryffindor table and waited for his food, chewing on his lip with his hands in his lap. 

It arrived, and Dean ate quickly - he wasn’t eager to continue sitting there by himself. When he was done, he slid off the bench and kept his eyes on the floor as he walked out of the Great Hall. He stood in the Entrance Hall, looking between the doors that would take him outside and the staircase that would lead him back to the Gryffindor common room. 

As it turned out, being outside or being alone with Brutus wasn’t a difficult decision for Dean to make. He didn’t bother grabbing a jacket, he just made his way through the giant double doors and slipped outside. He knew there was a chance he would freeze to death if he tried to fly in this weather, but he wasn’t particularly sure that it mattered. 

He jogged down to the Quidditch Pitch, donning his robes which provided some extra warmth and grabbing the Cleansweep Seven from the broomshed. He mounted and kicked off from the ground the second he hit open air. 

The rush of wind was icy cold, but Dean barely noticed. There were no bludgers to chase, no Quidditch captains blowing whistles in his ear… it was just Dean and the sky. 

  
  


**_Castiel_ **

Castiel yawned, stretching out his arms as he opened his eyes. He looked around noting the presents at the end of everyone’s bed. Newt and Justin, whom he shared a dorm room with, were gone. They left yesterday to go home for Christmas, as did most of the other students. He slid out of bed and noticed a small box at the end of his own.  _ Did my parents really send me something? Seriously? _ He moved to the box quickly and opened it, a single chocolate frog was placed inside. He smiled to himself, reading the little note that was attached.

_ Happy Christmas, Castiel! Thank you for being my friend. _

_ Love, Rue. _

Castiel chuckled to himself, closing the box and setting it down on his bed again. He got dressed quickly and grabbed the present he had for Rue, before he made his way down to the Great Hall. He swore he’d never seen it this empty, there were  _ maybe _ twelve kids still there, at most. He spotted Rue sitting alone at one of the tables and made his way over, sliding into the spot across from her. 

“Castiel! Did you get your present?” she asked immediately, her eyes wide. “I asked the elves to-...”  
Castiel cut her off, chuckling quietly. “I did get it, Rue. That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you.”  
She grinned with a look of pride, settling back into her chair. “Happy Christmas!”

“Happy Christmas to you too,” he smiled, pulling out the medium sized gift he had for her. “I got you something too.”  
“You did?!” she gasped, eyeing the present. “Is that it?”  
He nodded and set the present down in front of her. “Well, go on! Open it!”

She grinned and tore the paper off the box before taking the lid off. Inside was a bunch of different things, and Castiel watched as she pulled it all out. “Crazy socks! Are these from Gladrags?”

He shrugged a little, smiling. “I don’t know, are they?”

She grinned still and set them aside, pulling out various candy items from Honeydukes. She continued to tear everything out of the box, revealing some new robes and some joke candy from Zonko’s Joke Shop. She lowered her voice before she spoke. “Are these hiccup sweets?”  
He nodded with a small smirk. “You’re too smart to be tricked. You’ll have to use them on someone else.”  
She laughed quietly and put everything back in the box, before hugging Castiel gently. “Thank you, Castiel. Happy Christmas.”  
He was always so taken aback by how such simple things meant the world to Rue. Crazy socks, for example. Most kids _hated_ receiving socks on Christmas, but Rue was beside herself. “You’re welcome, Rue.”

He pulled back with a smile after a moment as breakfast appeared on the table in front of them. He began to eat and looked over at her. “So, what do you want to do today?”

She shrugged a little bit as she chewed, thinking. “I’m not sure. Can we do the sing-a-long later?”  
He scoffed, chuckling quietly. “You ask me this every year, Rue. You know I don’t sing.”  
“You don’t have to know how to sing, though. It’s just for fun!” She watched him, pulling out her best puppy dog eyes. “Please?”  
He sighed, nodding once. “We’ll see, okay? Who knows, we might find something better to do instead.”

She nodded with a smile as she sipped her hot chocolate. “What did you get Dean for Christmas?” 

He squinted a little bit. “What?”

“Dean Winchester? What did you get him for Christmas?” she repeated as if it was obvious.

“I didn’t- why would I-,” he cleared his throat. “Finish eating, would you?” She grinned but nodded as she finished eating.

Castiel fell silent, thinking.  _ How did she know I got Dean something? Did I leave it out somewhere? Did someone else see and tell her?  _ It was true, he did get Dean a gift, but it wasn’t anything special, it was just a Sneakoscope from Dervish and Banges, and he figured Dean probably had one already. It was the thought that counted, right?

After breakfast, Rue and Castiel enjoyed some time outside, making snow angels and snow forts, and even building a snowman to look like Professor Trinket, with the help of some magic. “She’s perfect!” Rue laughed, pointing her Alder wood wand at the snowman and stating, “ _ Colovaria! _ ” 

Just like that, the once white snow turned to a shade of pink that Professor Trinket was most known for wearing. “Now she’s perfect,” Castiel agreed, grinning down at Rue.

The pair continued to do outdoor things, including Rue teaching Castiel to ice skate. To say the least, the spell  _ Episkey  _ was used on more than one occasion, usually performed by Rue. 

They eventually decided it was too cold to be outside, so they went in and had some butterbeer to help them warm up before changing into dry clothes. Rue had put on a pair of the crazy socks that had tacos on them as a design, and just about laughed herself silly. They ended up having their own sing-a-long in the Hufflepuff common room and eventually it was time for dinner. He knew Dean was still here, he had seen him a few times throughout the day, mainly in the sky on his broom.

He fixed his hair and pulled his robes off when he returned to his dorm, pointing his wand at them. “ _ Capacious Extremis! _ ” The insides of Castiel’s robes grew in size, but the outside seemed perfectly normal. He grinned and pulled his robes back on, picking up the box Dean’s present was in and placing it inside the newly enlarged compartment in his robes.

Once he was satisfied with his appearance, he met up with Rue in the common room, and together they headed to the Great Hall for the Christmas feast.

** _Dean_ **

He must have been flying for hours, because when he landed he was chilled to the bone. It was snowing, which only served to make him colder. He stowed the Cleansweep Seven he’d been riding back in the broomshed and changed back into his regular clothes.

He walked slowly back up to the castle, his stomach growling loudly and making him excited for dinner, even if he’d be dining alone. He wondered what Sam was doing, and if he was happy at Alyssa’s. He was sure he was; Alyssa was a pureblood, which meant Sam was getting to experience life with a wizarding family for the first time. He thought it was really cool of the Blake’s to invite Sam for Christmas, and decided maybe he should send them some kind of a ‘thank you’ note. 

When he got back to the castle, he’d decided to do exactly that. He made his way to the top of the tower to the Owlery, but stopped as he heard voices coming from around the corner. He flattened himself against the wall. 

“It’s nearly over. This might end up being the shortest Mudblood Games we’ve ever had.” Dean recognized the voice as Seneca Crane - Head of Slytherin House, Dark Arts professor, and Death Eater. Crane continued in a hushed tone as Dean crouched down, hidden by the wall but wanting to make himself even smaller. “There are only 3 tributes left, and one of them is believed to be gravely injured. The Malfoys are beside themselves, they had thought for sure that Marvel Henderson was going to win. He turned up dead three days ago.” 

Dean had heard rumors that when a tribute died during the Games, their bodies somehow apparated to a central location where they could be studied by Voldemort’s entourage. It didn’t make sense to him how a dead person could just disappear and reappear somewhere else like that, but he figured there was an awful lot he didn’t know about magic. 

“Who’s left then?” Dean thought he recognized the voice, but couldn’t place it to a name or even a face. “And which one is believed to be injured?”

Crane answered, and Dean struggled to hear. “Meg Masters, Gloss Livingston, and Garth Fitzgerald. Livingston is the one that’s injured, something about stepping on a magical landmine that one of the Ravenclaws cooked up early on.” 

Dean’s stomach did a flip.  _ Garth is still alive.  _ He remembered Garth. They’d sat in the same compartment on the Hogwarts Express this year, and he was also Castiel’s friend. Maybe there was more to Castiel’s ‘good luck’ than he had thought. Meg Masters was a Gryffindor, and although he didn’t know her personally, he wasn’t surprised that she was still alive. She was tough, and everyone knew it. 

It suddenly occurred to Dean that if Meg, Gloss and Garth were the only ones left alive… everyone else was dead. Neville Longbottom, the Gryffindor fifth year that looked so scared the day of the Choosing, was dead.  _ He shouldn’t even have been in it, he’s a pureblood,  _ Dean thought angrily.  _ No one should be in it, but especially not him.  _

Romilda Vane would be dead too, then. He once again was thrown back to that day in his mind, made to watch her swing helplessly upside down while that Death Eater punished her for just being afraid.  _ Turns out she was right to be afraid.  _

His mood declined impossibly further, but he forced himself to get to his feet quietly and leave the voices behind him as he made his way to the Great Hall for dinner. 

He realized about halfway there that he never actually made it to the Owlery. He promised himself he’d go the next day; he was now very eager to get some dinner and seek the comfort of his very quiet, very empty dormitory. 

Dean opened the door to the Great Hall, wiping back a single tear that escaped for Neville, Romilda, Kevin Tran and all of the other tributes that had died. He didn’t bother looking around this time as he found his seat, waiting for his dinner to appear. 

**_Castiel_ **

When him and Rue had entered the Great Hall, he briefly wondered why the first thing he noticed was Dean sitting all alone. It wasn’t a new decoration like it usually was, it was Dean Winchester,  _ sitting all alone _ . He looked down at Rue and she nodded, moving to sit at a table with some other Hufflepuffs as he walked over to Dean’s table, sitting down across from him casually. “Hello, Dean.”

Dean didn’t look up. “Novak. Happy Christmas.” 

Castiel frowned slightly, but nodded. “Happy Christmas to you too, Dean. Are you okay? Besides… you know… being alone and stuff.”

Dean’s ears turned red, and he kept his eyes down. “If you came to rub it in, you can save it, alright? I’m fine bein’ alone.” 

He shook his head. “No, Dean. I didn’t come here to rub it in. There’s nothing  _ to _ rub in. Besides Rue, I’m alone too.” He cleared his throat quickly and looked to him. “Hey, uh, Dean?”

Dean flicked his eyes up to Castiel. “Garth’s alive. I…. I overheard some people talkin’ about the Games, and Garth’s alive. He’s your friend, right?”

Castiel’s eyes widened, sitting up a little straighter. “He uh- yeah, something like that. We weren’t best friends or anything, but I’m glad to know he’s alive. Thank you for telling me.” He paused, his mind travelling to Romilda Vane because of the way she made her exit. “Do you- do you know if Romilda’s alive? Romilda Vane?”

Dean shook his head slightly. “Meg Masters and Gloss Livingston are the only two alive besides Garth, and from what Crane was sayin’... Gloss ain’t gonna make it much longer either. Romilda’s gone.”

He closed his eyes, his body visibly tensing. “So your friend Neville - I’m sorry, Dean.”

Dean did that thing where he appeared to shrug with his mouth again, his shoulder jerking up slightly. “It’s the Games, right? Even if you win, you lose. They should make that their slogan.”

He tried to hide his smile but ultimately failed because Dean’s right, this was ridiculous. “Yeah, no kidding. Do you ever consider not coming back here? Over the summer, do you ever think about not coming back? I do but then I realized that I’d be more miserable at home. I wish there was a way we could…” he lowered his voice, “do  _ something. _ Speak to Professor Shurley, maybe he could talk to You-Know-Who.”

Dean shook his head. “Voldemort isn’t that scared of Shurley anymore, he made that pretty damn clear when he had his goons drag him out of the Choosing. Honestly, I don’t even know if Professor Shurley would care enough to do anything anyway. He’s never shown a whole lot of interest in trying to save any of us when we’re flipped upside down and dangled like fucking puppets before being lead to our fucking dea--” Dean suddenly stopped speaking, his harsh words clipped. He huffed, then looked down at his still-empty plate. “Sorry.” 

He shook his head. “No, Dean. Don’t apologize, you’re right. Everything you said is true, I wish more of us had the guts to say it.” He sipped his butterbeer and decided that Dean needed cheering up and maybe his present could do that. He pulled the wrapped box out of his robes and set it on the table. “I uh- I got you something. It’s nothing special… take it as an apology present for ruining the snowball game. Maybe it can be a Christmas gift too? I don’t know, I just-” he sighed, pushing the box towards him. “Just… here.”

Dean eyed him, almost suspiciously. He took the box, flipping it over in his hands. “You didn’t have to do that, I don’t need some apology gift just because you outsmarted me  _ literally  _ at my own game.” 

Castiel cracked a small smile as he nodded. “Yes, well, I learned that spell from Charms class, and you helped me with it.” He watched him, his leg bouncing under the table from nerves. “And I promise nothing’s going to jump out at you. I just - I figured…” he sighed.

“Whoa, jump out at me? I didn’t think anything was gonna jump out at me, but now that you said it…” Dean eyed the box warily, then unwrapped it to reveal the Sneakoscope. He ran his thumb over it with a peculiar expression on his face, and then looked up at Castiel. “How’d you know mine broke?”

He raised his eyebrows, clearing his throat. “Oh, uh… I didn’t actually, but I’m glad yours is broken now.”

“You really didn’t have to do this… but thank you.” Dean looked at him again, his eyes a little wide. “I didn’t-- I didn’t get you anything, I didn’t think you’d even want to see me.”

Castiel shook his head quickly. “No, it’s okay. I didn’t want you to get me anything. I uh- I did want to see you.” He licked his lips quickly and tilted his head. “Are you- what are you doing later?”

Dean was staring at Castiel’s mouth and must have caught himself doing it, because he sucked in a breath and dropped his eyes to the table again. “I was just gonna sit by the fire in the common room, unless Brutus is there. I’m still kind of cold from bein’ in the air all day, and as you so kindly pointed out… I’m pretty damn alone right now.” 

He smiled slightly and nodded. “If you don’t want to be alone… you could always join Rue and I. Newt gave the gift from the snowball fight to me, it had some firewhiskey and a few snacks in it. Rue and I were just going to hang out in the Hufflepuff common room. You’re… well, we’d love it if you joined us. Rue is too young to drink anyway, and I certainly can’t drink the entire bottle myself.”

Dean bit his bottom lip, rolling it between his teeth before releasing it. He shrugged, saying “yeah, I guess I could come for a little bit. I should apologize though, I’m not exactly in the Christmas spirit.” 

It was Castiel’s turn to watch Dean’s mouth now. It took him entirely too long to avert his eyes, and even then… it was only a couple of seconds before the sight of Dean’s lips drew him back in. “That’s alright, that’s what the firewhiskey is for.” He winked at Dean, finished off his butterbeer, and finally began to eat.

Dean’s eyes widened again at the wink, and the tips of his ears reddened. He quickly reached forward to grab some food for himself. “So, where’s everybody at? Did Hael go home then, is that why you’re forcin’ yourself to talk to me?” 

He rolled his eyes, swallowing his food before he spoke. “No, Dean. I mean yes, she did go home, but I’m not forcing myself to sit with you. I just…” he sighed, “I wanted to, okay?”

Dean nodded once after taking a moment to look at Cass like he could see right through him. “Okay, Novak. Well, you’ve got my undivided attention for one night only. Use it well, would ya?” 

Castiel smirked a little bit before he grinned. “Come on, then. The others are sitting over there at that table.”

Dean looked concerned suddenly. “Wait,  _ others _ , as in plural? I thought it was just Rue?!”

“Woah, Winchester, relax. Rue’s the only one that’s going to be with us later on, but there’s no point in sitting here alone, right? Unless.. Unless you just want to stay here?”

Dean studied him for a moment and then looked over at the table. He must have decided that the ensemble of people was acceptable, because he stood up and grabbed his plate. “This should be a riot.” 

Castiel stood as well, picking up his plate. He shrugged, leading Dean over to the table. When they got there, Castiel sat down beside Rue and gave the basic introduction in case anyone didn’t know who Dean Winchester was, but he’s  _ Dean Winchester _ , of course everyone already knew. Rue grinned and looked at Dean and Castiel. “I invited them to join us tonight! I hope that’s okay?”

Dean had sat across from Castiel again, and was now burning holes into him with his eyes. His words did not match his expression in the slightest. “Sure thing, Rue. The more the merrier, right?”

Castiel watched Dean and nudged him with his knee. “It’ll be fine, Dean.” He looked up, narrowing his eyes at the others. “You all better get your own alcohol, though.”

** _Dean_ **

_ This is a horrible idea.  _ Dean was following Castiel, Rue and the others to the Hufflepuff common room.  _ Turn around and go back to your own. There’s too many people you don’t know, you’ve had a horrible fucking day, and you don’t even get along with Cass for more than ten minutes at a fucking time. Go back to where you belong.  _ His feet, however, weren’t obeying. He stood close to Cass as he walked.  _ Fine, just go long enough to get the damn firewhiskey, and then leave. No one said you had to stay.  _ He glanced sideways at Castiel.  _ On second thought, skip the firewhiskey altogether before you do something you won’t be able to talk your way out of.  _

“How much further is it?” 

Castiel shook his head but stopped with a grin. He turned to the six whiskey barrels that were in the shape of a triangle, tapping the one on the right, in the middle. A certain rhythm is heard as he taps, before it opens up. “We’re here.”

Dean frowned at it. “I gotta crawl through  _ that?”  _

“Yes.” He grinned and began to crawl through. 

He eyed the barrel, trying to gauge how much wiggle room he’d have in there. He wasn’t  _ horribly  _ claustrophobic, but he didn’t care for tight spaces and his shoulders were already quite broad. He waited until Castiel was through and crawled in after him. He smacked his head off the top of the barrel towards the end of it. “ _ Oof, ow.”  _ He made it through to the other side and stepped out. He looked around the room, his eyes taking in all sorts of details. 

“You guys really are plant geeks, huh.” 

Castiel shrugged a little bit, looking around the room as well. “I suppose… does your common room not look like this?”

He shook his head, turning in a slow circle. “Not even close, I mean… we’ve got chairs and a fireplace, sure… but our decorations are way different and our common room isn’t quite as…  _ round.  _ Or bright, for that matter. How the hell do you guys give the illusion of natural light in here?” 

This time, Rue furrowed her eyebrows. “What? It’s just- it’s light…”

Dean looked at her. “Yeah, no shit it’s light, but it looks like  _ sunlight,  _ not torch light or light from a bulb. You know what - nevermind, it doesn’t really matter.” He continued his examination of the room.

Castiel plopped down on one of the couches, reaching over to his bag. He pulled out the firewhiskey and some candy, setting it on the table. “Come sit, Dean.”

Dean turned back to Castiel and for some reason, he was nervous. He noticed the mistletoe hanging above the seat opposite Castiel, so he opted to sit next to him this time. Against his better judgement, he grabbed the firewhiskey. “Got any glasses or am I supposed to drink it straight from the bottle?”

“Here,” Annie Cresta appeared from the entrance. “I grabbed some.” She set them on the table and sat down opposite Castiel. 

Dean cleared his throat. “Watch out for the uhh… mistletoe. I hear it bites.” He was being sarcastic, but wasn’t quite sure that came across from the look on Annie’s face. “I know it doesn’t b-- nevermind.” He grabbed one of the glasses and poured himself a drink, taking a long sip and hissing at the burn.

Castiel grinned at him, tilting his head as he reached forward and poured himself a glass. He took a sip as well and then reached forward quickly, grabbing the bottle before Rue did. “No, none for you. You’re… how old? Fourteen?”  
Rue narrowed her eyes. “Yes, but Dean’s only fifteen! And you’re sixteen, technically you’re _both_ not allowed to be drinking.”

Dean couldn’t help himself as he took another swig. “Yeah, old enough to be put into a 

deathmatch in Purgatory, but not old enough to take the edge off once in awhile. Real fine system we’ve got goin’ on here.” 

Rue huffed and turned around to busy herself with something else. Castiel chuckled and quickly downed the rest of his glass as if it was nothing, pouring himself another one. “You want more?” He held the bottle out to Dean, who took it as Castiel grinned.

Dean drained his glass, dropping his head between his shoulders as he swallowed. He shook it off and refilled it. “This stuff packs a little more of a punch than muggle whiskey.”

He nodded in agreement and swung his legs up to rest on the table. “That’s what makes it so good.”

Dean didn’t think he had ever seen Castiel so…  _ relaxed  _ before. He felt some of the tension leave his own shoulders as the firewhiskey started to do its job. “Yeah, whatever. You fancy wizards and your fancy alcohol… I’d like to see you guys survive at a house party back where I’m from.” 

Castiel drained his glass again, pulling it through his teeth this time. He poured himself another one and then topped off Dean’s. “Cheers.”

Dean tilted his glass towards Castiel and then took another long drink. He leaned forward on the couch, looking at Annie. “So, where’d everyone else go?”

She squinted at him and leaned back. “As in…?”

_ Shit.  _ Dean was horrible with names, and he couldn’t for the life of him remember the names of the other two kids they had dinner with. “Uhh… the two dudes from dinner.”

“Oh,  _ them _ . They’re weird. They never socialize and they literally only leave their dorms when they have class and to get food. They usually bring the food right back to their dorms too,” Annie shrugged, pouring a small glass of firewhiskey, earning a glare from Castiel.

Dean noticed, and leaned over to nudge him, shoulder to shoulder. “Lighten up, she barely took any. You need to be drunk to be around me all of a sudden?” He smirked, and his eyes met Castiel’s. 

Castiel held eye contact, before his eyes flicked down, seemingly to Dean’s mouth. Annie cleared her throat as she stood up. “Alright, I’m gonna go… somewhere else. I’ll see you guys later…” she paused to smirk, “maybe.” 

Dean didn’t know or care what she meant by that, because  _ he’s still staring at my mouth.  _ He continued looking at Castiel as he said to Annie, “Yeah, it was nice to meet you. You have a… lovely home.” 

She clicked her tongue. “Right.” She left quickly after that, and within a few minutes they were alone in the common room with Rue.

“Rue, turn the radio up,” Castiel told her, still watching Dean.

She shifted her eyes over to them and raised her eyebrow, tilting her head at both their expressions. She stood and moved to the corner of the room, standing on a chair to reach the volume dial on the stereo. “Better?”  
Castiel didn’t answer, he just nodded and sipped his whiskey again.

Dean completely skipped the glass this time, picking up the bottle and drinking from it. He was a little too eager, however, because some of the firewhiskey escaped and dripped down his chin. He flicked over it with his thumb.  _ Space. I need space. He’s… too close. Or not close eno--  _ He cleared his throat, cutting himself off in mid-thought. “It’s great, Rue. At least you guys have decent taste in music.” He eyed Annie’s now empty chair, and moved to it. He relaxed now that there was some distance between them, and then leaned forward to pick through the candy on the table.

Castiel tried to hide his frown, but it didn’t work. He cleared his throat and looked away from Dean as Rue spoke. “I’m gonna go… check on our snow-Professor Trinket. I’ll be… I’ll be back,” she nodded, a small smile on her lips as she left.

Again, Dean barely noticed. He drank a little heavier. “So uhh… so much for a party, huh?”

Castiel didn’t answer him, instead he pulled out his wand. He pointed it at the bottle in Dean’s hand and whispered, “ _ Accio _ !” 

Dean cursed as the bottle flew out of his hand and landed in Cass’s. “That was mean.”

Castiel shrugged with the  _ tiniest _ smirk. “So is not sharing.”

“I wasn’t sharing because  _ you  _ only won this bottle cuz you glued me to the friggen ground.” 

“Oh, here we go again,” Castiel sighed, bringing the bottle to his lips as he drank. “I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have…  _ cheated _ , or whatever you accused me of.”

“I believe I accused you of  _ outsmarting _ me.” He pulled out his own wand and pointed it at the fireplace. “ _ Incendio.”  _ The fire started and remained contained as Dean looked back to Castiel. “Who’s the one not sharing now?”

He pulled the bottle back enough to mumble, “take it from me, then.”

Dean furrowed his brows, then pointed his wand at the bottle. “ _ Mobiliarbus.”  _ The bottle lifted out of Cass’s hand and drifted back to Dean, who took a very satisfying sip. “Oh, did I forget to mention that one when Trinket asked me eighty friggen ways to move an object? My bad.”

Castiel shook his head with a grin. “She really likes you, huh? Probably because you’re the only one who  _ actually _ knows the answers.”

Dean shrugged, a small smirk forming on his face. “I think it’s just cuz I’m adorable.” 

“I agr-,” he stopped himself and instead whispered, “ _ Locomotor firewhiskey! _ ” He guided the bottle back to the table in front of him, reaching forward to pick it up. 

Dean sighed, leaning back in the chair and spreading out. “At least you guys get bigger chairs than we do, it was almost impossible to fit two people on the ones in the Gryffindor common room.” He closed his eyes, letting the feeling of the firewhiskey work its way through him.

Castiel  _ giggled. _ Not chuckled, not laughed, actually  _ giggled _ as he stood up. “Perhaps you- woah,” he grabbed onto the back of Dean’s chair.

Dean opened his eyes when he heard Cass talking so close, and found him half hovering over the side of his chair. “First of all, did you just friggen  _ giggle?  _ And second, you better sit down before you hurt yourself. I also think I should take that bottle back, just for uhh… safekeeping purposes.” He reached up and grabbed the bottle from Cass. 

It wasn’t hard to tell Castiel was drunk as the firewhiskey worked quickly. He didn’t fight on giving Dean the bottle back, instead he huffed. “But this song is  _ terrible _ .” He continued his way over to the stereo, holding onto various things for support.

Dean stood up, half expecting that he was going to need to catch Castiel when he fell on his ass. He stood next to the chair he was just in and waited. “Well hurry up then, I imagine whatever you put on is gonna suck too, so then  _ I’m  _ gonna need to change it.”

He frowned and genuinely looked offended, crossing his arms. “Fine, then. You pick something.”

Dean shrugged, walking over. He bumped Castiel gently as he passed him, then squinted at the stereo. He started flipping through stations, holding his tongue between his teeth as he listened for something good. 

Castiel nearly fell over and grabbed onto Dean’s bicep to steady himself, laughing. “Woah!”

Dean flexed out of instinct, and turned his head towards him. “No, no, if you fall while you’re grabbing onto me, I’m gonna fall too.” 

He grinned and held on tighter. “What, are you going to fall on top of me again?”

_ Too much firewhiskey. Too much sadness earlier. Too much closeness, too much… blue. His eyes are so… fucking… blue.  _ He clears his throat. “I think it’d be more like you pullin’ me down on top of you this time, but whatever you need to call it to justify it.” 

Castiel chuckled and let go of Dean’s arm, his hand probably lingering for way too long. He pulled his wand out and pointed it at the fireplace, “ _ Incendio duo. _ ” He smiled and sauntered over to the other side of the room, looking at some of the pictures that were hanging. 

_ Now it’s too much distance.  _ “What, my spell wasn’t good enough? I’d one-up you with  _ tria,  _ but I’m pretty sure I’d burn the whole damn place down. And I think I’ve hurled enough fireballs at you lately.”

Castiel turned to look at Dean, the fireplace illuminating him in just the right way. “I forgive you.”

“Oh, Cass, it’s cute you think I was apologizing.” Dean took a step towards him, looking around the room again but not really seeing much of anything. 

“I think you’re cute too,” he giggled, turning away from him.

Dean froze.  _ No, you’ve just had too much to drink. He didn’t say that; that didn’t just happen. Just pretend like it didn’t happen, cuz it didn’t friggen happen.  _ “So, uhh… how was the whole ‘sex with Hael’ thing?” 

Castiel tensed, his hands balling at his sides. “It didn’t- we didn’t have sex. We staged it.”

“Huh? Why?” Dean was expecting an entirely different answer, and was genuinely surprised to hear that. “But the… sex hair.”

He rolled his shoulders and looked to the ground, almost as if he was ashamed. “So Raphael would stop teasing me. He’s a real assbutt.”

Dean spurted a laugh. “Wait, wait… he’s a  _ what?” _

He huffed, frowning. “An assbutt.”

Dean grinned, walking closer to him. “Okay, whatever that is. Why was he teasing you, and why didn’t you tell me? I’d have kicked his ass a couple of times.”

He shrugged, his eyes still down. “Because I haven’t- I’ve never…” He swallowed hard, speaking slowly and carefully. “Because I’ve never… even kissed a girl.”

Dean closed the distance between them, taking another sip of firewhiskey. He set the bottle down on the table next to them. “Okay, so? That doesn’t seem like a reason to make fun of somebody. Have you kissed  _ anyone?” _

He shook his head slowly, but stayed silent.

Dean reached forward and took Castiel’s chin between his thumb and index finger, tilting his head up. “Hey, don’t let that…  _ assbutt  _ ever make you feel like you gotta do somethin’ you don’t wanna do, okay? Screw him. He’s probably never kissed a girl either. Who would even want to?”

Castiel shivered, flicking his eyes to Dean. “You did, with Lisa. How is she, by the way? Aren’t you two back together or something?”

Dean shook his head, his eyes watching the way Castiel’s lips moved when he spoke. He dropped his hand and turned around. “Nah, we uhhh… definitely aren’t.”

He tilted his head, breathing out slowly. “But I thought- you and her- the whole  _ helping _ her with something… thing, and the linking arms....”

Dean frowned as he turned back to him. “The wh-- oh, you mean that day I saw you at breakfast? That douche McClaggen got pissed off during Quidditch tryouts and tried to hit Sirius with a bludger. Let’s just say it hit me instead. Shattered my elbow. Madame Harvelle healed it just fine, but Lisa always over-exaggerates shit like that. She was checkin’ my arm to make sure I didn’t have any bones sticking out, cuz she needed my help to teach her how to play Quidditch. Don’t ask my why, but she tried out and  _ made  _ the damn team without knowing shit about how it’s played, and she didn’t wanna look like an asshole when practice started. I already knew she didn’t know how to play, and obviously I do know, so… that’s all that was. I’ve barely spoken to her since.”

Castiel let out an audible sigh of relief, and then there was a sound. He turned towards it, Rue standing in the doorway, her arms crossed and clearing her throat. She nodded up at the ceiling above Dean and Castiel; there was now a piece of mistletoe hanging above them.

Dean looked from it to Rue to Cass, back to the mistletoe. “I didn’t put that there, this ain’t my house.” 

Castiel looked to where the mistletoe _used_ to be, then to Rue. “Did you move it?”  
Rue cleared her throat and shrugged. “Nope, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Oh, would you look at the time, it’s time for bed. Goodnight, Dean. Night, Cass.” She turned and left quickly.

“Wait, you don’t need to -- aaand she’s gone.” Dean shifted on his feet, looking at Cass again. “You can just… move, you know. If you want. I just can’t really get around you, so.” He dropped his eyes, his stomach twisting and his brain sort of fuzzy. “You don’t have to, I’m just… you can just…”

Castiel moved quickly, tilting Dean’s chin up and pressing his own lips to Dean’s, his eyes closing. 

Dean’s eyes got  _ very  _ wide, and he stood frozen there for a second, not moving one way or the other. He was vaguely aware that this was supposedly Castiel’s first kiss.  _ Ah, to hell with it, can always blame it on the bottle again, right?  _ He brought his hands up to Castiel’s face, and kissed him back.

**_Castiel_ **

Castiel was ridiculously tense, until he felt Dean’s hands on the side of his face. His body relaxed, keeping his lips on Dean’s, lingering for a moment before he pulled back. He rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants, opening his eyes and keeping them down.

Dean’s eyes opened slowly. “Uhh… I don’t entirely know if that was a good first impression, maybe we should try it again. Y'know, since it was your first one and everything, I just think it should be…. Jesus, this is the lamest excuse I’ve  _ ever  _ tried to come up with.” 

_ Just kiss him again. Shut him up, and kiss him.  _ He slowly moved his lips to Dean’s again, his hand sliding up Dean’s chest. 

Dean wrapped an arm around Cass’s waist, his palm settling on his lower back. His other hand went right back to his face, and he used both to pull him in closer. 

Castiel gripped onto Dean’s shirt, his eyes closing again as he relaxed. He felt…  _ safe _ , like there was no where else he belonged at this point in time. He hummed softly into the kiss, walking backwards.

Dean followed him, not breaking the kiss. The hand on his back slid up under his shirt to bare skin, and Dean’s tongue flicked out across his teeth.

He shivered and opened his eyes, falling back on the couch, pulling Dean with him. “Dean-,” he breathed out, his hands on Dean’s sides.

Dean straddled Castiel, his hands reaching under the front of Cass’s shirt and sliding them up. He whispered, “Shhh, don’t talk either one of us outta this,  _ please. _ ”

He gasped as he nodded quickly, but spoke slowly and quietly. “Kiss me again, then.”

Dean’s mouth found his in a hurry, and he bit Castiel’s lower lip and pulled it back. He pulled his hands back and started removing the flannel he was wearing.

Castiel watched him, trying to sit up to pull his own robes off, but not being able to.

“Damnit.” Dean slid off of Cass, standing up and pulling him with him. He kissed him again as he pushed Castiel’s robes off of his shoulders and started lifting the shirt underneath them off, too. 

Castiel was very glad Dean was leading him in this because Castiel had no idea what to do, but what he did know was that he  _ wanted _ this, and he thought he had for a long time. He pushed the flannel off Dean’s shoulders in return, his hands finding Dean’s sides again.

Dean pulled off the undershirt he had beneath the flannel, grabbing Castiel’s hand and placing it on his chest. He closed his eyes, almost as if he hadn’t been touched in a very long time. He leaned in and kissed him again, breathing his name against his lips in probably the neediest sound Dean had ever made in his entire life.

Castiel kept his hand right where Dean placed it, his other hand finding Dean’s free one, interlocking their fingers. He pulled back enough to whisper, “I’m here, Dean. You’re not alone.”

Dean looked at Castiel, green eyes meeting blue. “Yeah, till break is over and everyone comes back and we can’t be in the same room with each other for more than five seconds without arguing.” 

Castiel shook his head, almost begging at this point. “It doesn’t have to be like that, Dean. You- I-...” He stopped, his hand moving from Dean’s chest to his cheek, brushing his thumb under his eye. “ _ Please. _ ”

Dean closed his eyes and breathed out shakily. “Cass, I can’t, okay? My dad- you don’t understand, last time -- it was  _ so..”  _ He made a strangled little noise and backed away from Cass, grabbing his flannel but not his undershirt. “I gotta go, I’m… _ jesus, _ I’m sorry. I’m so damn sorry.” Dean almost ran to the barrel that would take him out of the Hufflepuff common room, crawling through it quickly and disappearing back into the castle.

Castiel couldn’t bring himself to move, his eyes locked on the barrel, hoping and praying to whatever greater force or power that was out there that Dean would turn around and change his mind and he’d come back. 

After a few moments of just standing there, Castiel realized that Dean wasn’t going to change his mind. His stomach sank, and…  _ am I crying? _ He brought a hand to his face and sure enough, it was wet. He let out a deep breath and wiped his eyes with his robes, not bothering to put them back on. He pulled his undershirt on, though, wondering how the hell things went so wrong so quickly. He  _ finally _ moved, making his way over to the stereo to turn it off, tuning into what was playing;  _ Lonely is the Night - Billy Squier. A classic _ . He clenched his jaw and turned it off quickly and became angry. He looked around for his wand, finding it on the couch.  _ It must’ve fallen out of my robes when-- _

He stopped himself from finishing that thought and grabbed his wand, pointing it at the stereo. “ _ Expulso!”  _ He shouted the spell, probably too loudly as the stereo blew up. He let out a deep breath and shoved his wand into his pocket. He noticed Dean’s undershirt on the ground, so he bent down to pick it up. He closed his eyes and fought back the tears, leaving the common room and wanting nothing more than to hide himself from the world, but mainly Dean.

** _Dean_ **

Dean’s mind was a mess when he scrambled out of the Hufflepuff common room and half ran towards his own. He had been so close...  _ so close  _ to giving in. He had him, had  _ Cass  _ in his arms, was kissing him, was listening to him practically beg him not to stop.  _ Why the fuck did you stop?  _ But the memory of the aftermath of that spin-the-bottle game reminded him  _ exactly  _ why he stopped. His dad wasn’t normally violent… mean, sure… but it was only when Dean did something  _ really  _ wrong that he’d find himself on the business end of a belt. Sometimes, if Sammy really pissed their dad off, Dean took the brunt of that too. He preferred it that way; would even ask for it. Anything so he didn’t have to listen to Sam try to explain bruises and welts that clearly didn’t come from bumping into doors or tumbling down a few stairs. 

Even now, it wasn’t necessarily the thought of the pain that stopped him. He already knew enough to know that being with Cass like that would feel good enough that any subsequent pain wouldn’t matter. No, it wasn’t the pain. It was the disappointment. Dean had looked up to his dad for as long as he could remember. He wasn’t always mad at Dean… sometimes he was a pretty cool dad. He taught him about guns and survival and even took him to a baseball game once. But the disappointment on his dad’s face when he found out his first born son might not be straight was… 

Dean shivered.  _ No. I don’t care how good it felt. I don’t care how Castiel Novak’s skin _

_ felt under my fingertips. I don’t care how fucking hot the sounds he was making were, or how much I enjoyed swallowing them. I don’t care how great it was to be touched again.  _ Whether Dean wanted to admit it or not, that last part had been what really got to him. It had been such a long time since anyone touched Dean like he was someone who mattered. Even with Lisa, it was never like that. They’d fooled around a couple of times, but it was never…  _ intimate.  _ Dean didn’t know a whole lot about intimacy, but he was absolutely certain they’d have gotten there if he hadn’t run away like an asshole.  _ No, not an asshole,  _ he mentally corrected himself.  _ It’s better this way, I could never be with him, couldn’t even think about it. Can’t think about it. Won’t think about it.  _ Human contact is something you don’t even know you need until you don’t have it anymore. Until you  _ couldn’t  _ have it anymore; couldn’t do anything but crave it and miss it and beg it to come back. 

But the only thing Dean was begging for right then was a chance to get out of his own head. To get Castiel Novak out of his head, to be more accurate. To get his stupid blue eyes and his dumb sex hair and his ridiculously inexperienced and needy lips out of his head. 

He was failing. 

**_Castiel_ **

Castiel tossed his robes to the ground when he made it back to his empty dormitory room and fell face first onto his bed. He closed his eyes and buried his face into the pillow.  _ You’re an idiot, Cass. Why the hell would Dean ever even  _ **_consider_ ** _ being with you? You’re nothing to him, all you are is the guy that bumps into him 24/7.  _ He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, not being able to shake the feeling of how  _ right _ it felt; Dean’s arms wrapped around him, their lips pressed together… Castiel had never felt anything like that before. Clearly for Dean, though, it was all wrong.  _ He probably fucking hates me now, just when I thought things were getting better. I shouldn’t have fucking kissed him, I should’ve just walked away.  _ He sat up and tossed the pillow across the room, his eyes wide.  _ Holy shit, I  _ **_am_ ** _ gay.  _

Castiel always had the feeling- he definitely knew that he was attracted to men as well, he just always figured he hadn’t found a woman who interested him, but tonight confirmed it.  _ Tonight confirms that I- Castiel Novak- am gay.  _ He let out a deep breath, it felt good to finally say it out loud and even come to terms with it.  _ Accept _ it. 

As Castiel sat there and thought, something else crossed his mind.  _ He said ‘last time’. ‘Last time his dad…’ No, there’s no way. He must’ve meant last time with a  _ **_woman._ ** Castiel slid off the bed and paced the room, his eyes closing. He didn’t want to think about what would happen when Raphael found out.  _ Maybe Dean and Raphael are secretly working together. Maybe this was all part of one of Raphael’s stupid plans and I- I fell into the trap because of how good it felt. How good Dean’s hands all over my skin felt, how good I felt in his arms, how good his lips felt on mine… _ Castiel was drawn from his thoughts when he realized his fingers were on his lips. He quickly dropped his hand and pulled his robes back on, deciding he wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight.

He left the dormitory and was dressed in more outside-like gear, his hands shoved into his pockets. He made his way out to the empty Quidditch field and hopped on the first broom he could find, kicking off the ground. He flew around in slow circles, a mindless task which was necessary at the moment because Castiel’s mind was anywhere  _ but _ on the broom he was flying. 

_ How the hell am I supposed to face Dean now? I can skip every upcoming Potion’s class and still pass, right? Charms too? _

He lowered his broom to the ground and tossed it aside, finding a hallway that was far enough away from everything else that no one should find him. He slid down against the wall, his head in his hands.

He just needed to think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you made it this far, I love you. Thank you. See you Monday!


	8. Lonely is the Night

**_ Dean  _ **

To say that Dean had been even grumpier than usual would be an understatement. The castle grounds were thawing out as Spring rolled in, and Dean had been avoiding absolutely everyone. Sam and Sirius had given up trying to figure out what happened over Christmas a couple of months ago, and Dean was grateful for it. He had no idea how he’d explain to his brother or his best friend that he’d nearly  _ gone there  _ with a guy, let alone that he chickened out and ran away. 

He hadn’t seen much of Castiel since that night. Cass had skipped their next three lessons together, and when he finally showed up again he sat as far away as possible from Dean. Dean didn’t push him; didn’t ask to talk to him. Their agreement to help each other with Potions and Charms disintegrated, and with it went any chance Dean had of passing his Potions O.W.L. 

He knew he’d pushed Cass too far that night, and wouldn’t disrespect him by asking him to pretend like it didn’t happen just so Dean could get something other than a T on his exam. It was with that resolve in mind that Dean started spending an ungodly amount of time in the library. It wasn’t a place Dean was overly comfortable with, but this time, it was his mom he was afraid of disappointing. 

Academics came easy to Sam. He didn’t even need to study most of the time, he just retained what he was told like a sponge. A giant, moosey sponge. Dean was the opposite, if he didn’t get hands-on experience with it, there was no way he was going to remember. 

This fact was proven over and over again as he studied theories and ingredients lists for the different potions he would need to know for his O.W.L., and failed miserably at actually producing them. He had a hard time transferring what he saw on paper to the cauldron in front of him. He needed to see someone do it; to walk through the steps with someone that knew what they were doing before he’d feel confident enough to do it on his own with any level of success.

He walked into the library and sat at the table in the corner he’d come to think of as his. He wandered the aisles, grabbing the occasional book off the shelf until he had a stack in his hands so high he could barely see around it, and then he made his way back to the table. He dropped the books with a  _ thump,  _ and sat down. He picked one off the top of the stack and opened it to a random page.  _ Maybe if I look at something different, the stuff I’m actually supposed to be learning will start to make sense.  _ He studied the words, but they quickly became just a jumble of letters and numbers, mocking him from their yellowed page. He groaned, pushing the book away from him and putting his head in his hands. 

He rubbed his temples, lost in thought until he was distracted by the sound of the library doors opening. He turned his head to see who it was, thinking maybe it was Sirius or Newt or someone he could ask for help. 

His stomach twisted, because it wasn’t help at all. It was Cass. 

** _Castiel_ **

Castiel had stopped showing up to the majority of classes, he went once a week…  _ maybe _ . He just didn’t want to face anyone. Not Hael, not Newt, not Charlie, not even Rue. He liked to hide in the safety of his dorm room, away from Raphael’s teasing and the possibility of seeing Dean.

They’d obviously seen each other since, it was almost Spring now and Christmas was a long time ago, but Castiel could still relive the day like it was yesterday. His grades were slipping and he couldn’t afford to fail any classes, even though everyone was constantly reassuring him of how talented he was. 

The library doors shut behind him as he walked over to section containing books on Charms. He couldn’t remember if it was  _ Wingardium Levi-O-sa,  _ or  _ Wingardium Levio-SA.  _ Either way, he needed to figure that and  _ many  _ other questions out. 

He grabbed a few that looked helpful and sat down at a random table close to the back corner of the room, figuring the further away from the door he sat, the less he’d have to interact with people.

He couldn’t have been more wrong. He looked up briefly and noticed Dean Winchester sitting a few tables in front of him, opposite Castiel. He looked down quickly and opened his book, pretending like it was the most interesting thing in the world. He knew this would happen eventually, that there would be a time when Castiel and Dean were alone together again and Castiel was just glad it was somewhere public. He cleared his throat loud enough that Dean could probably hear him and flipped a page in his book.

If Dean did hear him, he didn’t look up. His eyebrows were furrowed in what could have been concentration, but his eyes weren’t moving across the page. He definitely wasn’t reading whatever it was he was looking at, and his jaw was clenched. 

Castiel tapped his fingers on the table, his leg bouncing. He flipped the pages in the book faster now, for some reason wanting to leave the library as quickly as possible. 

Eventually he found the answer to one of his questions and grabbed his quill, scribbling the answer down. He closed that book and pushed it aside, opening another one. His eyes drifted to Dean again, watching him.

Dean got to his feet in a hurry, his knee knocking loudly against the table. He made an  _ oof  _ noise and then disappeared into one of the rows of books. 

Castiel watched Dean go and then laughed quietly because it was nice to know that Dean felt as awkward about it as he did. He flipped through the second book, sighing in frustration when he discovered it contained none of the information he needed. 

**_Dean_ **

He heard that laugh. It made him ache in ways he didn’t want to think about. He narrowed his eyes at the books on the shelf in front of him.  _ Just leave. Just turn around and grab your shit and go. Nothin’ good is gonna come from this, and you’re not gonna get another thing done while he’s here. Can’t even remember a damn thing about the page you were just staring at. What book was it even in?  _

He knew Castiel would know the answer to his Potions questions, and he was incredibly tempted to ask him. He told himself it was for the sake of his grade, but somewhere deep down he knew he was just looking for an excuse to talk to him again. He was going to fail Potions anyway, it was too late in the school year to salvage it. But he reminded himself that he was staying away as much for Cass’s good as he was his own.  _ He deserves somebody that can actually be with him. Someone that ain’t afraid of it. Someone that ain’t too damn broken to be happy.  _

His mind wandered to that first Potions lesson after he and Lisa had split, and how easy it had been to accept Castiel’s help back then. His feet were moving before he knew what he was doing, and suddenly he was in front of Castiel’s table, leaning over it and gripping the edge. “How do you know when you’ve added enough of a certain ingredient? How fast do you add it? I don’t get it, I know the colour is supposed to change but will it matter if you wait too long? What happens if you add too many?”

Castiel looked up at Dean slowly. “Hello, Dean. I’m fine, how are you?”

Dean blinked.  _ Shit.  _ “Uhh, ‘m great. You? Wait, no… you already answered that. Didn’t you? No, don’t… you said you were fine. How many damn porcupine quills?” 

“Porcupine quills for which potion?” Castiel seemed calm, but his leg was still visibly bouncing under the table.

“Any of ‘em. All of ‘em. That one we did, the euphoria crap? You added ingredients until the potion changed colour, right? I remember that. But how did you know when you had enough, how fast did the colour change? How fast do I need to add the quills?” He spoke quickly, as if afraid he wouldn’t have time to get all of the words out. 

“Until it turned blue, Dean. Remember you were stirring, I was adding them? We stopped when it turned blue… again.”

“Yeah, like your --” Dean huffed. “I know what colour it turned. That’s not what I’m asking. I’m saying… say the potion needs 8 quills before it’ll turn the colour you need it to, but you don’t know it needs 8. Will it just magically turn blue the second you add the eighth one or do you need to go slow between each one, just in case it only needs five?”

He nodded. “You add one and then you stir. Add one, stir. You’ll know when it’s the right colour when it’s the colour of my eyes. You can use them as a reference, if it helps.”

“What about when I need it to turn purple, or the colour of fucking sunshine? You’re not helping.” Dean frowned, but was now pointedly avoiding eye contact. 

“I- I’m sorry, Dean. If you do the add and then stir method, you’ll reach your colour eventually. Keep track of how many you add and write it down so you have it available next time,” Castiel spoke quieter, rubbing his palms on his pants.

“Okay, but what about the potions where stirring is bad? Or you don’t stir after a certain ingredient, you just wait?” He shook his head quickly. “Y’know what, nevermind. I’m sorry I bugged you, I’m gonna fail anyway. This shit just doesn’t make sense to me.” 

Castiel frowned, watching him. “Do you- I mean I can… I can help you study, if you’d like. I’m trying to study for Charms, we could help each other.” He lowered his voice and mumbled, “is it  _ Levi-O-sa,  _ or  _ Levio-SA?” _

He smirked. “It’s ‘OH-sah,’ kinda like the sounds you were making --” Dean clenched his jaw quickly, his frown returning. 

Castiel closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again. “Dean, I-,” he fell silent for a moment. “I’m sorry about Christmas.”

_ Sorry? He’s sorry? For fucking what?  _ “For what? I’m the one that should be sorry, but either way… it doesn’t change a damn thing. Good luck with your Charms.” 

“Okay, Dean. Good luck to you too.” Castiel stood up and grabbed his bag, leaving his opened Charms book on the table. He brushed past Dean and left the library.

_ Fuckin’ great. _

\-----------------------------

Dean made his way to the third floor corridor and stopped outside of the Dark Arts classroom. He turned to Sirius, raising his eyebrows. “You ready for this? Crane told us to prepare ourselves, which is never a good sign. Last time he said that, we all nearly burned to death because of that fiendfyre.”

Sirius frowned. “You’d think he’d have bothered to teach us the countercharm first. Let’s hope he learned from  _ that  _ little mistake at least.” He shrugged then, as Dean turned to look for James and Remus. “Either way, I’m sure it will be an appropriate level of horrible.”

Dean shivered as he looked around the corridor. “Did it get like… way friggen colder or is it just me?”

“Nope, it’s not just you. I thought winter was almost over.” Sirius pulled open the door and walked in, and after a final glance around the corridor, Dean followed.

Dean barely made it three steps before he ran smack into Sirius, who had stopped dead and was reaching wildly behind him for Dean. Sirius was tall; roughly the same height and size as Dean himself, so it was difficult to see around him. He didn’t need to, though. The sudden and complete lack of all happiness and warmth was enough to tell him what he needed to know. Professor Crane had brought a _ dementor _ to class. 

He could hear it’s horrid, ragged breathing before he even laid eyes on it. He couldn’t bring himself to move, despite the fact that Sirius was now trying to push him back out the door. “Nope, Dean, turn around, we need to run. This isn’t class, it’s fucking Azkaban.” 

Dean vaguely registered Sirius saying something about the wizarding prison, but the other boy’s movements had cleared a line of sight between Dean and the dementor. He locked eyes with it.  _ Wait, does it even have eyes?  _ He searched under the dark hood, but all he caught a glimpse of was the faint outline of a terrifying mouth that Dean knew he never wanted to see up close. 

He spiraled quickly. Dementors, by nature, fed off of happiness. Dean was running short on that these days, so it didn’t take long before he no longer remembered what happiness even was. Professor Crane was shouting at them from somewhere to his left, but the exact words were lost to him. He was on his knees, he knew that much. He wasn’t sure when he got there or why, but he felt Sirius’s hands on him, hauling him back to his feet. “Dean, please, you have to move. You  _ have  _ to, he’s threatening to feed us to that fucking thing if we’re not in our seats in the next 30 seconds.” 

Dean’s feet moved of their own accord, and he felt a sharp pain in his back when he was shoved into his seat roughly by Sirius. The pain didn’t matter.  _ Nothing matters. I can’t do anything right. My own dad can’t stand to look at me. My mom’s given up on me. Sammy wouldn’t notice if I jumped off a bridge right now. I hurt Cass. I’ll never pass my exams. I should have just volunteered for the Choosing, I would have saved a lot of people a lot of trouble. They’d be happier if I was gone; not around to --  _

“ _ Sectumsempra!”  _ The sound of the curse jolted Dean enough that he started to pay attention to where he was again. He’d wished he hadn’t though, because he was looking at a startled girl in red and black robes that --  _ No, those are yellow and black… and covered in red. Covered in… blood.  _ He heard Prim Everdeen’s scream, and everything clicked into place. He forgot about the soul-sucking Dementor and stood quickly, pointing his wand at Prim as he walked to where she’d collapsed. “ _ Vulnera Sanentur.”  _ The incantation came out almost like a song on his tongue, and the bleeding slowed from the giant, impossibly deep gashes across her chest.  “ _ Vulnera Sanentur.”  _ His voice was soft but confident, the desperate need to help the girl in front of him overpowering anything he might have been feeling from the Dementor. He watched as the wounds started to heal, but it wasn’t enough. She was whimpering in pain, her two hands clasped tightly around Dean’s free one. “Please….” 

“ _ Vulnera Sanentur.”  _ With one final attempt, the wounds stitched themselves closed. He let out a breath, his body shaking as he pulled her to her feet. “Go to Madam Harvelle… ask for dittany.” That was all Dean could manage to get out before Remus came and got her. 

“I’ll take her, Dean. I’m sorry. I was unaware of what the spell would do when Professor Crane told me to cast it.” Remus didn’t wait for a response as he pulled Prim out of the room. 

Dean turned to Professor Crane, who was smirking. “Looks like I don’t need to teach you the counterjinx. It’s a shame, it’s always more fun when they beg me to save them.” 

Dean’s vision went red, and he was suddenly being held back by several pairs of hands, his anger blasting through the despair from the Dementor. “You’re sick, you know that?!” he bellowed at Crane, shaking violently now. “She’s just a kid, does it make you feel good to hurt kids, you sick fuck? Is that what gets you off?” Sirius and the others continued to try to pull him back, but Dean wasn’t finished. “I’d tell you to pick on someone your own size, but good luck finding another person as fuckin twisted and pathetic as y--” With a flick of Professor Crane’s wand, Dean was on the ground. 

He was screaming, he was sure of it. But whether any sound was actually coming out, he couldn’t tell. It was pain. Blinding, horrible pain, shattering his bones and ripping him apart from the inside. He couldn’t breathe. He didn’t  _ want  _ to breathe, he wanted to die. He wanted it to end,  _ god,  _ how he was begging for it to end. Just when he was sure his mind would split in two from the intensity, it stopped. He laid in a heap on the floor, his face stained with tears. 

“This, class, was an excellent example of what happens when mudbloods forget their place in this world. Let that be a reminder to all of you. Class dismissed.” 

\-----------------------------------

Dean woke up a few hours later in the Hospital Wing, a very concerned and frazzled Madam Harvelle fussing over him. “Eat, it’ll help.” He sat up slightly to see her shoving a large chocolate candy bar in his face. 

He tried to shove it away. “Don’t want it.” She persisted, giving him a very mom-like look. He took it, biting off the corner. As he chewed, he could feel some of the warmth return to his body. “Whoa, what’s in this stuff?” 

“Chocolate, Mr. Winchester. Chocolate. It’s good for more than just cookies. The boys who brought you down here said you ran into a Dementor? How’d a thing like that get onto the castle grounds?”

“Crane.” Dean continued eating, feeling his strength returning. “Still don’t understand what chocolate’s got to do with it.” 

Madam Harvelle smiled at him. “I don’t know why, but I know that it works. It’s about the only thing that works.” 

Dean just nodded and kept eating.

Madam Harvelle cleared her throat as she sat in the chair beside Dean’s bed. “Crane brought a Dementor in? Why?”

Dean shrugged, not looking at her. “Beats me, I didn’t really hear him say a single word till the end.” 

She nodded and watched him. “Your friends said you had tears streaming down your face. Dementor’s can  _ seriously _ mess people up.” 

Dean stopped chewing, looking at the rest of the chocolate bar. “He did somethin’ else to me, I don’t know what it was. I wasn’t cryin’ because the Dementor made me sad, I…” He trailed off and shook his head. “Nevermind.”

She folded her hands and offered a gentle smile. “You can talk to me, Dean. I’m not going to tell anyone.”

He shook his head again. “Nothin’ to talk about, you heard it. I cried. End of story.” 

“Why did you cry? What were you thinking about?”

“I wasn’t  _ thinking  _ about anything. He did some kind of a spell, it started with a C, I think. It hurt. I cried. The whole world saw it. Can we drop this now?” He finished the rest of his chocolate and laid down.

Prim spoke up from the bed beside him. “You saved me, though. I don’t really care if you were crying, you still saved me. Thank you, Dean.”

He glanced over at her. “You gonna be okay? Those were some nasty cuts.” 

She nodded. “I will be, thanks to you. Had you not healed me, I would’ve bled out and died right there in front of Crane.” She swallowed hard. “I don’t think he had any intention of saving me.”

“Honestly, I don’t think he did either. I kinda think that might be why he brought the

Dementor in. To distract everyone from what he was doin’.” He looks at Madame Harvelle. “You give her chocolate too? I feel bad I ate all of mine now, I would have shared if I’d have known she was still here.” 

Prim smiled at him. “I had some, Dean. We’ve been here for a while, at least three or four hours.”

He frowned, looking around. “That long?”

She nodded, sitting up straighter in her bed. “Yes. Sirius was here- I think that’s his name. He told me to tell you that he stopped by.”

He dropped his eyes to the bed. “Can I just… stay here tonight? I know that probably won’t help the whole ‘Dean cried’ thing, but I just…” he trailed off, then looked up hopefully at Madam Harvelle.

Madam Harvelle watched him, but nodded. “If you wish, Dean. You’re more than welcome to stay here.”

He nodded, then slid down in the bed. “Thanks. I’ll be out of your hair in the morning, I’ve got Quidditch.” 

“There’s no rush, Dean. Take your time,” she stated softly with a smile

He tried to smile in response, but he felt like he’d been hit head on by the Hogwarts Express. Not physically… physically, he appeared to be fine. After the pain of whatever that spell was, he’d expected to see his body in shreds. He didn’t think even Madam Harvelle could undo that much damage in just a couple of hours, so he assumed whatever was done to him must have been in his head. 

It clicked, and sure enough, it fit the memory.  _ Crucio, that bastard used an Unforgivable Curse on me.  _ It explained a great deal, at least. Why he’d cried, why he wasn’t sure he’d actually been making noise as he was screaming. That pain was all imagined. He let out a breath and closed his eyes, chasing sleep that ultimately was never going to come. 

_**Castiel** _

All Castiel had heard for the past day was ‘Dean Winchester, The Boy Who Cried’, and for the longest time he wasn’t aware what that meant, until some other Gryffindors explained it. 

“Dean was over-reacting,” they had said. “He wasn’t even in pain.”

But Cass, he knew that wasn’t correct. He knew something was wrong with that, because Dean never showed emotion. So for something to make him  _ sob _ the way people were explaining it, he just knew something was wrong. 

He made his way to the hospital wing with two butterbeers in his hands, figuring Dean might want some company. He wasn’t sure if he was the one Dean would want to see, but he figured it couldn’t hurt. He reached the doors to the wing, pausing when he heard talking.

“It’s over, they’ll be making the official announcement once she’s been cleaned up.” Castiel recognized the voice of Professor Crane. “I’m surprised it was her. There were a few purebloods in the running and even a vampire, and yet a mudblood still won. Astonishing.” 

A second voice answered him. “Not really, the purebloods that were picked were morons. And the werewolf was still a pup… it was a miracle he made it as far as he did, really. Shame about his parents, though. The Fitzgerald’s are good people, I know they were looking forward to getting their son back.” This was the voice of Professor Amara, Castiel’s History of Magic teacher. 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he flattened out against the wall and swallowed hard.  _ Garth died. The games are over? Meg Masters… she won?  _ He waited until he heard the voices disappear, before quickly bursting into the area Dean was in.

**_Dean_ **

Dean opened his eyes and saw Castiel, looking…  _ what?  _ Dean sat up quickly. “Cass, what happened?’ 

Castiel sounded as if he had just run a marathon. “I- the games- over- Garth Fitzgerald- Meg Masters- she… she  _ won _ !”

Dean took a moment to let that sink in.  _ If Meg won, that means Garth is dead. Or trapped. Or fed to that giant snake.  _ He looked up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “Cass, I’m… shit, I’m sorry. Come here.” He patted the spot next to him on the bed. 

Castiel was shaking, probably from adrenaline and fear, but he moved and sat down beside Dean, closing his eyes. “I- I came to see if you were okay. Are you?”

Dean shrugged, then rubbed Castiel’s back lightly. “I’m fine.” 

He breathed out shakily and sort of awkwardly leaned into Dean’s side. “Good, I’m glad. I was worried about you. I- I  _ intended  _ to bring butterbeer, but I must’ve dropped it when I heard the news.”

Dean clicked his tongue. “Turns out I prefer Firewhiskey anyway.”  _ Damnit, why do you do that? Just leave the poor guy alone already.  _

He actually managed to smile, looking over at him. “Me too. I think good things happen when I drink firewhiskey.”

Dean shifted and slightly pulled back, his hand now sort of resting half on Cass’s lower back and half on the bed. “Yeah. So Meg, huh? Bet her folks are happy.” 

Castiel frowned, but nodded once. “Yes, I suppose. Though, it isn’t like they’ll ever get their daughter back.”

“Maybe not, but she’s alive, which is a lot more than eleven other sets of parents can say right about now.” 

Castiel stayed quiet and then shook his head. “No, I think I’d rather die. I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my life being You-Know-Who’s… well, bitch, essentially.”

Dean would laugh, but that’s about to become a reality for Meg Masters, and that isn’t very funny at all. “Yeah, me too. I’d rather die than go to the Games period. Honestly, I think if I ever do get picked, I’m just gonna find a way to end it. I won’t kill anyone else, or at least I don’t want to, and I don’t want anyone else livin’ with my death on their conscience.” 

“Me too, Dean. Fuck this school, honestly. It’s a joke. This entire ‘witchcraft and wizardry’ thing is a joke. Being sorted into a House is a joke. I-,” he sighed. “Sorry, I didn’t… no, actually I  _ did _ mean that. I hope Voldemort hears me, maybe he’ll take me instead of Meg.”

Dean frowned at Cass. “Don’t say that.”

“Yeah? And why not?” He sat up fully and then stood. “I’m not wrong.”

Dean narrowed his eyes, standing as well. “You’re wrong to think he should take you instead. And you know what, yeah, it’s all kind of a joke… but at least it can be funny sometimes.” He pointed his wand at the water goblet next to his bed, and said, “ _ Lapifors!” _

The goblet turned into a rabbit, which hopped down from the table to the bed. Dean’s mouth curled slightly. It wasn’t quite a smile, but it was the best he could do at the moment.

At the sight of the rabbit, Castiel raised his eyebrow, a small smile making its way onto his face. He blinked at it. “Did you just turn that water goblet into a rabbit?”

“Yep, and I don’t even need  _ fumos  _ to make a daring escape, cuz I did it on purpose.” Dean watched the rabbit, noticing a little too late that he hadn’t put any pants on this morning.

Castiel looked at Dean, and then down towards the ground. He cleared his throat but didn’t say anything. “Are you coming to Charms class?”

“What, Monday? Yeah, I’ve got a match this afternoon, so I’ll be leaving here soon.” He scratched the back of his head, wondering if he should do something about the pants situation or just keep ignoring it. “You comin’ to watch?”

He licked his bottom lip but nodded. “Yes, I’ll be there. I promised Rue I’d go with her, she wants to meet her friend there.”

“We win this one, we’re in the Finals.” He fidgeted with the bottom of his shirt. “What uhh… what are they sayin’? About what happened in Dark Arts, I mean.” He cleared his throat, then clarified. “About me.” 

Castiel frowned and looked to the ground. “Well, uh, you know… it doesn’t really matter, right?”

_ It’s bad, then. Probably worse than Madame Harvelle let on.  _ “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll be on a broom soon with a bat in my hand... they can talk all they want.” 

“Exactly,” Castiel spoke, letting out a breath of relief. “You’ll kick all their asses.”

Dean dropped his eyes; he was pretty sure that Cass thinking he couldn’t handle what the others were saying was probably  _ worse  _ than what the others were saying, but Dean’s mood had nowhere to go but up. He’d hit rock bottom during that class, and he wasn’t kidding - soon he’d be back in the air, taking out some of his frustrations on bludgers. “Yeah, course I will. I’ll uhh… I’ll see you out there then.” 

Castiel nodded, then leaned forward like he was going to hug Dean but suddenly thought better of it. “I was going to wish you good luck, but we both saw how well that worked with Garth. I’ll see you later, Dean.”

Dean watched as he left, then turned to gather his things and put his pants back on. 

  
  


** _Castiel_ **

Castiel left the hospital wing, relieved that Dean was indeed okay, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of…  _ guilt  _ that Garth Fitzgerald was dead. He knew it wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t have done anything to save Garth unless he himself volunteered. He knew for sure that if Rue Marsh was ever called, he’d volunteer in a heartbeat. He thought he’d volunteer for Hael too… but thankfully he never said those words out loud.

He reached the six barrels and tapped the barrel that was two from the bottom, middle of the second row to the rhythm of ‘Helga Hufflepuff’, and then crawling through when the barrel moved. 

“Castiel!” Rue grinned, running over to him. “Let’s go have breakfast and then we can go to the Quidditch match, I think we all need to be there at eleven.”

He nodded to her with a smile. “Alright, lead the way.”

Rue left the common room with Castiel behind her as they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. 

“Hey guys,” Nymphadora smiled, sliding down so they could sit. “Are you both going to the Quidditch match?”  
Castiel nodded. “Yes, we are. It’s a big game, whoever wins this one gets to move onto the finals.”

“Who are you betting on?” Charlie Bradbury asked, raising her eyebrows. “I bet ten chocolate frogs that Ravenclaw is going to win.”  
“No way,” Justin shook his head. “Gryffindor is going to _crush_ Ravenclaw. With a seeker like Finnick Odair, the Gryffs are destined to win.”

“I agree with Justin,” Castiel agreed. “Dean Winchester’s feeling better as well, him and Sirius Black are the dream-team when it comes to Beaters.”  
“You mean Sirius Black and The-Boy-Who-Cried, right?” Johanna Mason smirked, sitting down. “I hear he was sobbing and there wasn’t a single thing hurting him.”  
Castiel tensed. “That’s enough, Johanna. Leave him alone.”  
“Ah, gotta protect your boyfriend, don’t you, Novak?” She grinned, tilting her head.   
“He isn’t my boyfriend, I would just rather _not_ hear you be an assbutt about it, okay? We don’t know what the Hell went on in his mind, alright? So why don’t you knock it off.”

“Oooh, feisty are we?” She chuckled. “Lighten up, Novak.”

“Rue, are you done eating?” Castiel asked quickly. Rue nodded so Castiel stood, turning quickly and leaving the Great Hall.

Eventually Castiel and Rue made it outside to the Quidditch pitch. They had each grabbed a butterbeer on their way over, and were now sitting on the bleachers so they could watch the game.

Rue found her friend; a Ravenclaw by the name of Jesse and left Castiel, sauntering down a few rows on the bleachers so she could sit with him. Castiel kept his eyes on the pitch, watching as the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws mounted their brooms, pushing off the ground and elevating themselves into the sky. 

His eyes landed on Dean who was also looking back at him. Dean winked-  _ he fucking winked _ \- at Castiel, and his stomach did a little flip. He smiled small but quickly averted his eyes to Gryffindor’s Keeper and Captain, Oliver Wood.

The match began, and it started off intense. It went back and forth between Gryffindor scoring and Ravenclaw following. Ginny Weasley would throw the Quaffle through the centre ring, skimming right past the Ravenclaws Keeper; Mick Davies. Not a few minutes later, Cho Chang would manage to get the Quaffle through the right or left ring, immediately leveling the scores.

The match went back and forth like this for the majority of it, before Castiel’s eyes landed on Finnick Odair who seemed to have his sights set on something. He shifted his eyes to Dean quickly who dodged a Bludger attack before looking back to Finnick.  _ Come on, Odair. The Snitch is right there, just grab it. _

Finnick was zooming around the pitch now, avoiding a Bludger hit that was knocked away thanks to Dean. He quickly reached out and grabbed the Golden Snitch that hovered in one spot for just a little too long, allowing for Finnick to get a hold of it.

“One hundred and fifty points to Gryffindor! Gryffindors win!” the announcer cheered, as Castiel jumped up and cheered as well. He watched the Gryffindors celebrate in the air before they all landed and began to celebrate on the ground as well.

Castiel clapped and grinned, giving Dean a thumbs up when they locked eyes. It was almost as if Dean was looking for him. 

Dean playfully punched Sirius in the arm, and then laughed as he dodged a return hit and started jogging towards Cass. His face was flushed and his hair was sticking up at all angles from the mix of sweat and wind. He stopped when he got to them. “That Quidditch Cup is  _ ours,  _ so don’t go gettin’ any ideas, Novak. I don’t know how Hufflepuff managed to make it this far, but you guys are goin’ down.” 

Castiel chuckled, taking in Dean’s appearance. “Whatever you say, Winchester.”

Dean grinned, then nodded to Rue. “Get in any epic snowball fights lately?”

She shook her head, grinning as she stood next to Jesse. “I can’t say I have, unfortunately.”

“Don’t worry, kiddo. Next year, I’ll make sure it’s even bigger.” He winked at her. “And that we  _ win.”  _

Rue smiled at him as Castiel rolled his eyes, repeating himself. “Whatever you say, Winchester.”

“Yeah, great talk, Novak. Forgot what a thrilling conversationalist you were.” Dean’s eyes flicked back to Rue, but he jerked his head towards Cass. “Keep your eyes on this one. He’s trouble.” Dean grinned and didn’t wait for a response as he turned and jogged to catch up with the rest of his team, heading into the changing room. 

“He’s _so_ into you, Castiel,” Rue smirked, nudging him.  
Castiel cleared his throat and tensed, shaking his head. “No, he’s not. I’m going to head to the common room, I’ll see you there later?”  
She frowned but nodded. “Yeah, Castiel. I’ll see you later.”

Castiel nodded to Jesse and Rue as he descended the bleachers stairs, pulling his wand out and twirling it around as he made his way back to the castle.


	9. In the Evening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are references to child abuse later on in this chapter, fair warning. I'm not sure if I tagged that or not and I'm posting in a hurry, so I wanted to be sure there was a disclaimer.

**_Dean_ **

Dean entered the Charms classroom the following Monday still riding the high from Gryffindor’s latest Quidditch win. He’d expected Ravenclaw to put up more of a fight, they’d been difficult to beat in the past. But Finnick was in rare form, even for him, and it took him less than an hour to catch the Snitch. It had been the most therapeutic hour of Dean’s life, if he was honest with himself. Being a Beater allowed him to be in control. Control of himself, and control of little, magical cannonballs that were the physical embodiment of the frenzied chaos he’d been feeling inside of himself for… well, for years. It felt good to direct that at someone else, to literally beat it away from himself and send it careening towards another target. Especially because all that target had to do was shift their broom slightly to avoid it. It was a win/win, and each time his bat had connected with a bludger, he’d relaxed further. 

He sat down in his usual seat and pulled out his wand. Professor Trinket had a gleam in her eye that he’d rarely seen before, which excited him. After the Dark Arts lesson from Hell, he had been weary at best about going to his other lessons. He knew what the others called him. _The Boy Who Cried._ How none of them realized that Crane had cast an Unforgivable Curse on him was beyond him, but he did his best to shrug off the scoffs and whispered insults. _Better me than them._

He was surprised and slightly disappointed when Castiel didn’t sit next to him. He knew he had no reason to think that he would; sure, they’d gotten back some of their previous banter and comfort level with each other, but Dean had still been an ass and never even bothered to explain it. He scowled at his desk. _What the fuck was I supposed to say? Sorry, can’t come out of the closet right now cuz my dad will whip my ass?_ His scowl deepened to the point that he was sure something near him would die, but nothing did. 

Professor Trinket broke him out of his thoughts. Her voice was unusually soft. “I heard about recent… _events,_ and decided to teach you something that would normally be taught in a different class. As your Professor, it is my duty to prepare you for the real world, especially when the real world is let into our castle by Death Eaters.” She spoke simply, but Dean’s eyebrows shot up. To the best of his knowledge, none of the other professors had ever explicitly stated that they knew what Seneca Crane was. He was fully paying attention now. 

“Since the class you would have been learning this charm in under normal circumstances doesn’t exist for your age group, I have taken it upon myself to teach you.” She pulled out her wand. “Dementors are horrible creatures, and there is no real way to fight them. You can, however, defend yourself with at least _some_ level of dignity. I’m going to teach you the Patronus Charm, and while I suspect less than half of you will be able to produce a fully-formed Patronus, it will be worth it to me if even one of you can pull it off.” She looked around the classroom and her eyes landed on Castiel. Dean’s followed, and he watched Castiel’s cheeks flush at the attention. Dean frowned to himself, because Castiel wasn’t even close to being the best in this class, so why did _he_ get singled out? _The guy can’t even say a levitation charm right._ He squirmed in his seat and looked back at Professor Trinket. 

“The incantation is simple enough, but the thought behind it isn’t. You’ll never be able to produce even a shroud of silver mist unless you’re fully, completely focused on your happiest memories.” Dean flinched. _Fuck. There goes any chance I’ve got at ever defending myself from those creepy, horrible things._ She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath as, Dean assumed, she thought of things that made her happy. “ _Expecto Patronum!”_ His eyes shot to the end of her wand as a silvery-white peacock burst forth. His eyes were wide, and he was sure he’d never seen anything like it. Peacocks were ridiculous creatures, all arrogance and uselessness, but this was… beautiful. He could feel the warmth and hope radiating out from it, and several students around him gasped. He understood immediately how something like this might counteract the effects of a dementor. 

The peacock patronus disappeared, and it was like a vacuum had sucked the air out of the room for a moment. It hadn’t registered to him just how big of an effect this thing had until it was gone. He licked his lips, more than eager to try to produce one of his own. 

Professor Trinked called on Remus. “Mr. Lupin, would you care to be the first to try your hand at it?” Dean watched as Remus shrugged, standing up and walking down to her. He held his wand out and copied her movements: eyes closed and a long, deep breath. He said the incantation exactly as she had, but nothing happened. “Try again, Mr. Lupin. It has to be a truly happy memory. Let it fill you up, and picture it coming out of your wand as a guardian.” 

Remus nodded, and tried again. “ _Expecto… Patronum!”_ His voice echoed around the room and a shroud of silver mist erupted from his wand. Professor Trinket clapped politely. “That won’t do you much good if you’re faced with an actual dementor, but it’s a start.”

Remus sat down again, the look on his face unreadable. He didn’t look proud or disappointed or _anything._ Dean shuddered. 

“Let’s try with one of the girls, shall we? We are the happier gender, after all.” Professor Trinket winked, and picked on a Hufflepuff seventh year. 

The girl stood, her hand covering smothering a giggle. Dean rolled his eyes, but couldn’t argue Trinket’s point - the girls certainly looked happier than the boys right now. She stepped forward, clearing her throat and donning a straight face. She didn’t seem to have to search very long for a happy memory, because she quickly shouted the incantation and immediately produced that same, silvery cloud that Remus had. Professor Trinket made an unimpressed sound, but clapped all the same. “Who would like to go next?” The girl appeared slightly out of breath as she walked back to her seat and sat down, exchanging an excited smile with the girl sitting next to her. 

Castiel stood. He didn’t raise his hand, he didn’t ask to be chosen. He just _stood._ Dean shrunk back in his seat and tried not to imagine what Castiel was going to use as his happiest memory. He took quite some time, but nodded to Professor Trinket once. “I’m ready.”

**_Castiel_ **

She looked at him expectantly. “Then do it, Mr. Novak. Go ahead, the floor is yours.”

He breathed out rather shakily and closed his eyes. He held his wand out and tried to go back in time to his happiest memory. He remembered the way Dean’s lips felt on his, the way his hand felt on Dean’s chest. He was so relaxed, so content at that time. He breathed out again and did the movement with his wand while saying “ _Expecto… Patronum!_ ” 

He opened his eyes quickly, but frowned, noticing the silvery cloud. “It didn’t work.”

Professor Trinket frowned at him. “So do better. Whatever you were thinking about… it wasn’t happy enough. It wasn’t _nearly_ happy enough.”

He frowned because that really was a happy memory for him. He closed his eyes again and this time thought about the time he received his letter from Hogwarts and how excited he was to finally be able to leave home. He completed the movements again and said quieter this time “ _Expecto Patronum!”_

This time when he opened his eyes, he saw the silvery mist shoot out in the form of a… _what is that?_ It had wings, whatever it was. Castiel tried to hold it there so he could study it, but it quickly sputtered out as his energy drained. He dropped his wand arm to his side, breathing quickly. 

“Excellent! Excellent, Mr. Novak, I had a feeling you’d be the one to do it first.” Professor Trinket was clapping in earnest now, her hands rapidly smacking together and a smile plastered on her face. 

Castiel looked at her, but for some reason couldn’t bring himself to smile. He shifted his eyes to Dean, scanning his face for any indication on what just happened and what it was that appeared out of his wand.

Dean, however, was looking down at his desk with his eyebrows pinched so closely together that they nearly became one. 

Castiel thanked Professor Trinket and made his way back to his seat. He grabbed his books and quickly moved to the empty seat beside Dean, sitting down beside him. He didn’t say anything, he just set his books down and tucked his wand into his robes.

Professor Trinket then called several more students to the front, none of whom produced anything close to what Castiel did. A few managed that strange mist, but nothing with any real shape. Dean kept his eyes on the desk until Professor Trinket called his name. 

He looked up, appearing startled. “Oh, uh… no thanks.” 

Castiel frowned, nudging him gently as he whispered, “why not?”

Dean just shook his head quickly, sinking further into his seat before Professor Trinket insisted he come try the spell. 

Castiel looked to Professor Trinket, sensing Dean’s discomfort. “All due respect, Professor Trinket, but Dean doesn’t want to. Perhaps you can pick someone else.”

Dean looked relieved and grateful, briefly flicking his eyes to Castiel’s. Professor Trinket clicked her tongue. “As he was the one that was most affected by our visitor, I think it is most important that he learns this spell. Mr. Winchester, please step forward.”

Castiel tensed, looking to Dean as he spoke quietly so only Dean could hear him. “You don’t have to, Dean. She can’t get you in trouble for not wanting to do something that makes you uncomfortable.”

“She can and she will,” was Dean’s only response before he pushed himself to his feet and walked forward. His legs bowed out at an odd angle, something Castiel wouldn’t have even noticed if it wasn’t for how obviously Dean was struggling to take steps forward. 

Dean didn’t address the class or Professor Trinket as he held his wand out in front of him. He was silent for a long time, longer than anyone else had been this far. The silence seemed to stretch on, and the students that had been watching him with interest started to look away. It was beginning to look like Dean wasn’t going to attempt the spell at all, and then he did. 

“ _Expecto Patronum.”_ It was barely above a whisper, and Castiel might not have even heard him say it if it wasn’t for the absolute quiet of the rest of the class. Nothing happened. Not a cloud, not a wisp, not even a hiccough out of Dean’s wand. 

Castiel closed his eyes for a moment and then started to collect his and Dean’s things as Professor Trinket spoke, confusion heavy on her voice. “Are you sure you focused solely on your memory, Mr. Winchester?”

Dean seemed to deflate, and he mumbled, “dunno.”

Castiel cleared his throat as he stood up, his arms full of all his books and Deans. “Professor Trinket, Dean and I have somewhere we need to be, don’t we, Dean?”

Dean turned quickly, his eyes cloudy but almost hopeful. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, yeah we do.” He started walking towards Cass, his steps no longer forced. 

Castiel quickly headed for the door, hearing Professor Trinket say something about detention, but not really caring. He managed to hold the door open for Dean, before letting it close after Dean was out. 

Dean kept his eyes to the ground, walking away from the door. “Thanks.” 

“Are you hungry?” he handed Dean his books. “It’s nearly dinner time.”

Dean stopped long enough to grab his books from Castiel, and muttered, “not even a little bit. Gonna just go to bed.” 

He frowned but understood, nodding once. “Yes, alright, Dean. I’m going to the Hufflepuff common room, you can uh- you can join me if you’d like.”

Dean hesitated and started to shake his head, but then stopped. “How many Hufflepuffs call me The Boy Who Cried?” 

He tensed but shook his head. “Johanna Mason, mainly. She’s an assbutt, though, so don’t worry about her.”

Dean’s temper visibly rose. “How’s that fuckin’ fair? I get an Unforgivable fucking torture Curse used on me with a god damned dementor in the room, and somehow I’m _The Boy Who Cried._ Fuck it, I don’t care. I’m going to bed, I’ll see you in Potions.” He turned on his heel and walked quickly away. 

Castiel stood still, watching Dean go. _Unforgivable Torture Curse? Dementor?_ He quickly turned, following the direction Dean walked in.

**_Dean_ **

Dean heard Castiel’s footsteps behind him. _C’mon man, just leave me alone. Walk away. I don’t want to explain any of this, let alone to you._ He walked quicker, his mood absolutely in the gutter. He hadn’t been able to think of a single happy memory. He thought he’d found one, but it apparently wasn’t good enough. He’d thought about a time when he was just a kid; before he knew his dad was a hunter. Before his dad found out he’d kissed a boy. Before he’d found out he was a wizard, and the very thing his dad spent his life tracking down and murdering. He’d just been a kid, with a family that loved him and he loved back. No expectations, no pressure to be something or someone that he wasn’t. Or rather, to ignore the something and someone that he _was._ Nothing else he could think of even came close to that singular memory, unless he was counting what happened with Castiel on Christmas. But even that memory was tainted and tinged with guilt and regret. _I can’t even be happy right, what the fuck is wrong with me?_

Castiel eventually caught up to Dean, calling out to him. “Dean, Dean wait!”

 _Jesus, this guy doesn’t quit._ He turned, stopping in his tracks. “What? You decide you wanna say somethin’ too? About how the great, confident Dean Winchester cried like a fucking bitch? About how I don’t have a single fucking happy memory, and how everyone fucking knows it now?” He was angry, angry at so many things. Castiel wasn’t necessarily one of them, but he was there. He was there and stupid enough not to walk away, so Dean didn’t apologize. 

Castiel dropped all of his books and simply stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Dean. “I’m sorry.”

Dean’s shock temporarily cut through his anger. He didn’t hug him back, but also didn’t pull away. “For what?”

“I understand now, Dean. About everything, about being upset with you for so long after Christmas, for just- for not understanding, but I do now.”

 _How could you possibly understand any of it? You don’t know, and I’m not about to tell you._ He pulled back, straightening his robes. “Yeah, sure. Great.”

Castiel blinked, watching him. He looked a little embarrassed as he dropped his arms to his sides. “I’m sorry- I- I didn’t-.”

“I’m fine. It’s fine. Everything’s peachy. Don’t worry about it, you might hurt yourself.” He flinched, just barely. _You can at least quit bein’ a dick to him, he didn’t do anything wrong._

Castiel tensed, his face flushing slightly. “Okay, Dean. I’ll just- I’ll go. I hope you feel better.” He turned around and picked up his books that he dropped, walking away without looking back.

Panic rose in Dean, and he reached out as Castiel walked away, but the words died in his throat. His face set and he turned, continuing on his original path. _Let him go. He doesn’t need your bullshit, nobody does. The world doesn’t revolve around you, how many times does Dad have to say that before you get it? So what if being around him is the only fucking thing that makes you feel normal anymore, this isn’t his problem. You’re not his problem. And he’s not yours._

\----------------------------

The air was blissfully warm when Dean walked down to the Quidditch Pitch for his final match of the year. They were playing Hufflepuff, and this would be the first time he’d really seen Castiel since their argument after Charms. 

He avoided his teammates as he walked into the changing room and pulled his robes out of his locker. He ran his thumb over the yellow number 4 that stuck out in bright contrast against the blood red background and thought back to the first time he put these robes on. _Maybe that’s what I should have picked for my happiest memory. I was somebody then, somebody worth cheering for. No one was glaring at me, or yelling at me, or tellin’ me I wasn’t good enough._ He changed quickly, then grabbed the Cleansweep Seven from the broomshed. 

Sirius caught up with him, the very picture of confidence and swagger. “You ready to _beat_ the Hufflepuffs?” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “That joke gets worse every time you say it, Sirius. _Seriously_.” 

That earned a laugh from his friend. “I could say the same to you, Winchester. Let’s do this.” 

“Yeah, right after Wood gives his speech. We might be eighty by the time we get out there to actually play.” 

As if on cue, Oliver Wood spoke up. “This is my last match as your Captain, since I will be leaving Hogwarts next year. Playing with all of you has been the highlight of my time here, and I’m sure your new Captain will feel the same. I’m not going to waste time with a pep talk… you all have played well enough this year that I don’t think you need it.” 

Sirius cut in. “Yeah, and you’re afraid if you do, you’ll cry harder than Winchester did during Dark Arts.” Dean looked at him, shocked and a little hurt, but then Sirius laughed. It wasn’t mocking or hurtful, it was the sort of laugh only his best friend could pull off. It wasn’t enough to make Dean laugh in return, but it took a little bit of the edge off. He playfully punched his shoulder. “Shut up.” 

Oliver continued, pretending he couldn’t hear Sirius. “Your Captain for next year will be Jo Harvelle.” Dean’s stomach twisted, but he smiled and clapped with the others. It was unreasonable for him to think he’d be made Captain, and honestly, he had forgotten Oliver was going to name one tonight so he hadn’t had a chance to dwell on it. Jo was the obvious choice anyway. “Now, let’s go win the Quidditch Cup.”

Dean didn’t have to be told twice. He joined the rest of the team as they walked out, shook hands with the other team, and took off into the air. He faintly heard the whistle that signaled the start of the game, and then Jo whizzed past him with the Quaffle in her hand. 

He adjusted his grip on his bat and took a moment to breathe. _This is it, last match of the year. Maybe the last match of your life, if you’re Chosen next year. Make it count._ He let the roar of the crowd fill him up as he circled the pitch, cheering along with everyone else when Jo passed the Quaffle to Lisa, who threw it past Castiel and through the hoop. He flew closer to Cass and winked at him. “Gonna have to be quicker than that, angel.” He startled himself with the nickname that could only have come from Cass’s patronus. Dean wasn’t even completely sure what it was, but his first reaction to it had been that it looked like a guardian angel. 

Dean abruptly snapped out of his thought as a bludger sped towards Ginny Weasley, who was holding the Quaffle and zig zagging her way towards the goal post. He leaned forward on his broom, urging it faster. “Ginny, duck!” The second she did, he swung - connecting bat to bludger and sending it speeding towards Johanna Mason. _Hope it knocks your head off, you evil bitch._ It didn’t, however, because she was every bit as good as Dean was. He heard the crack as she swung her bat and hit the bludger, but this time it veered off course. He lost sight of it for a moment, and took that opportunity to curse loudly as little Rue Marsh managed to score. 

Dean searched the pitch for Finnick, who was flying well above everyone else, his eyes scanning the area below him. _Good, we’ve still got time, he hasn’t seen it yet._

He sped around the Hufflepuff goals, rolling neatly on his broom in front of Castiel and taking off towards the other end. He was trailing Lisa Braeden, who had the Quaffle and was about to run smack into all three Hufflepuff Chasers. He was about to yell a warning to her, but realized at the last second that she was feinting. He shut his mouth, flying over her just as Jo flew under and grabbed the Quaffle out of the air. He hit the bludger that came towards them and sent it flying back up the other end of the pitch, not paying attention to where it went because Jo was about to score again. She did, but that was pretty much the end of their good luck.

Goal after goal, bludger after bludger, Dean watched helplessly as the Hufflepuff chasers took that game dangerously out of reach. The sun was setting behind the stands and Finnick appeared no closer to finding the Snitch. He glanced at the scoreboard. _170 to 40, this is awful. Why are we playing so badly?_ He wanted to take over for Lisa, or maybe Ginny, and play Chaser just to help them catch up a little. There were several problems with that, the most glaring of which being that it wasn’t allowed. So Dean just doubled his efforts in knocking bludgers towards the Hufflepuff chasers and tried to knock them off course. 

He and Sirius worked as a flawless team, each one sensing where the other was going and which targets they were aiming for. They managed to stop several potential goals with well-aimed _thwacks_ of their bats, which allowed Ginny, Jo and Lisa the opportunity to finally get some more goals past Castiel. _When the hell did he get so good at this?_

They’d pulled within 70 points by the time Dean saw Finnick speed towards the ground. Charlie Bradbury, the Hufflepuff Seeker, was hot on his trail. Dean took off after them, hoping the bludgers would play nice and he’d be able to distract Charlie if not knock her off her broom entirely. _C’mon, Finn, catch it now, if you catch it now we win._

It started raining, and heavily. It didn’t concern Dean a whole lot; he knew that Finnick had an uncanny ability to see in all sorts of weather conditions which was one of the things that made him such an insanely good Seeker. It did, however, make it harder to keep a good grip on his bat. 

He was gaining on the two Seekers when they abruptly turned, flying up and to the right of where they’d previously been. Dean did his best to follow, but his Cleansweep was decidedly slower than the brooms the Seekers had. He heard the chaotic buzzing of a nearby bludger just as Finnick and Charlie both reached out their hands. He swung with every ounce of energy he still had in him, and sent the bludger towards Charlie. 

Under normal circumstances, Dean Winchester had the best aim of anyone at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and certainly of anyone that played Quidditch there. He rarely missed his mark, especially when it was a mark he was near desperate to hit. But these weren’t normal circumstances. The stakes were too high after a year of too many lows, and it didn’t help that bludgers had minds of their own. It hit just slightly to Charlie’s right, which meant that it hit the arm that Finnick Odair had stretched out, just inches from the Snitch. Inches from victory. Dean watched in silent horror as Finnick’s left arm broke and he pulled it back from the Snitch to cradle it against his body. It was a testament to Finnick’s superior flying abilities that he didn’t fall off his broom in the torrential downpour. Finnick reached out wildly with his good arm, but he was a split second too late. Charlie Bradbury’s fingers closed around the Golden Snitch, and it was over. 

\-------------------------------

Dean landed on the ground with a wet, muddy squelch, and Sirius landed next to him moments later. “Don’t say it.” Dean growled. “Just don’t… fucking say it.” 

Sirius shook his head, grabbing Dean’s arm. He went to say something back to him, but it was lost in the deafening roar that surrounded them. The Hufflepuff players were slowly drifting towards the ground in a victory huddle, Castiel and Charlie right in the center. 

Dean was happy for Castiel. Or at least, he wanted to be. But the pit in his stomach wasn’t allowing much room for anything but nausea at the moment, and he realized with a jolt that Oliver Wood might _actually_ kill him. He took off at a run, shoving the broomstick back in the shed. He quickly shrugged off his robe and balled it up, hastily throwing it in alongside the brooms. He once again didn’t want to deal with anyone, and he had detention later thanks to him running out on Charms. He hurried back to the castle, changing into a spare pair of regular robes and headed towards Professor Trinket’s office when it was time.

**_Castiel_ **

Castiel was in shock. Had Hufflepuff _seriously_ just won the Quidditch finals? He lowered his broom to the ground and tossed it to the side, all the other Hufflepuff players landing and celebrating as well. Even Raphael had a smile on his face. 

Castiel was quickly pulled from his celebrations when he looked at the time and groaned. He slipped away from the rest of his team and quickly ran back to his dormitory to change into his regular school robes before he took off in a sprint towards Professor Trinket’s office.

Honestly, Castiel didn’t mind having to go to detention. He hated that it was right after they won the finals and he wasn’t able to celebrate with the rest of his team, but he _did_ get to spend more time with Dean, just the two of them. He quickly made it into Professor Trinket’s office and noticed that Dean was already in there. 

“Hello,” Castiel smiled slightly, moving to sit in the chair beside him.

Dean offered a grunt in response. 

Castiel frowned but didn’t acknowledge the grunt. “So, uh… yes, alright, not talking. Understood.” He opened his notebook just as Professor Trinket walked in.  
“Look alive, Mr. Winchester. Your detention is just beginning.” She quickly turned and wrote down the sentences ‘I must not disobey’ and ‘I must not leave class early’. She turned back to them. “I want you to alternate writing out these sentences for the duration of your detention. Any questions?”

Castiel shook his head.

“No, Professor.” Dean’s voice was nearly too polite as he spoke, and then he flipped open his own notebook and grabbed his quill. 

Professor Trinket nodded in approval. “Very well. I’ll return in an hour.”

She left and Castiel turned to Dean. “Are you okay?”

“Yep.” Dean didn’t look up as he started writing the first line. 

Castiel watched him. “I don’t believe you. Are you upset with me?”

Dean simply did that non-committal face shrug he does so well. “Nope, got no reason to be, do I?” 

He narrowed his eyes at him. “And you say _I’m_ the terrible conversationalist.” He picked up his quill and started to write, staying quiet now. _So much for that._

Dean grunted again, his quill scratching on the parchment. “Yeah.”

Castiel didn’t bother acknowledging him and instead of thinking about writing his lines, his mind was playing over every scenario that occured between him and Dean, trying to pinpoint a reason he could be upset. He sighed and looked back down at his parchment and realized that instead of writing the word ‘class’, he had scribbled down ‘Dean’ instead, his sentence now reading, ‘I must not leave Dean.’ He quickly tore that piece of parchment out and crumpled it up, clearing his throat and starting again.

“Congratulations, by the way. You made some good saves out there.” Dean didn’t look up, but at least he said _something._

“Huh? Oh uh, yeah, thanks.” He shifted his eyes to Dean briefly, but kept writing. “You played well too, from what I could see.”

Dean scoffed, his eyes darkening and the scratches on the parchment getting rougher. “Yeah, I played friggen _awesome.”_

He frowned. “You did, really. So you missed one shot, you protected everyone else the entire game.”

“And hit the wrong damn person when it mattered. I think I broke Finn’s arm.” Dean tossed the quill down, leaning back in his seat and rubbing his face. 

He set his quill down as well, looking over at him. “I mean, you probably did. Bludgers hurt like a son of an assbutt.”

“Who the hell taught you that word? I swear, every conversation we have you’re callin’ somebody an assbutt.” Dean doesn’t outright smile, but it’s there. 

Castiel smiled, almost proud. “I made it up. Isn’t it great? You can use it in every context.”

“Sounds like it’s just the one context to me.” Dean picked up his quill and started writing again. 

“You know, I wasn’t really upset that we got detention?”

“Why, because you finally broke the rules for the first time in your life?” It wasn’t accusatory, but there was still an edge in Dean’s voice. He didn’t look up.

Castiel felt… hurt? He’s been nothing but nice to Dean, yet Dean still seemed to be angry with him. “Right, then.” He gathered his stuff and moved to a different seat away from Dean. “So we don’t get distracted.” He tried to hide the hurt in his voice and wondered if he did it well enough.

**_Dean_ **

For the second time in as many days, Dean managed to push Castiel away right at the moment he needed him most. _Fuckin’ awesome, Winchester, good work._ He glanced up at Castiel, wondering what kind of _assbutt_ he had to be in order to make Cass sound like that over and over again. He huffed and continued writing, barely paying attention to the words he was scribbling. 

Dean had this awful tendency to dig himself deeper no matter how badly he wanted to pull himself up, so he muttered under his breath, “yeah, keep runnin’ away.” 

It was easy to tell that Castiel had definitely heard by how aggressively he put his quill down, but he didn’t move or say anything.

Dean was on a roll now, all of the frustrations of the last few days bubbling over. It came out like word vomit, but he couldn’t make it stop. “I thought Hufflepuffs were supposed to be these crazy loyal dudes? Isn’t that your whole shtick? But all I’ve seen you do is get weirded out and run away, then pretend like everything is fine two days later.”

Castiel kicked his chair out and stood up angrily. “What’s your problem, Dean? What did I ever do to make you _hate_ me so much? If I recall, you’re the one who’s pushed me away every time I’ve tried to fix our problems. You _literally_ pushed me away on Christmas and ever since then you’ve been cold with me. What did I do?”

“No, you don’t get to do this.” He pushed his chair back and stood as well, his voice raising. “You don’t get to sit there and pretend like I haven’t tried to let this go. It’s not my damn fault that you’re _everywhere_ I am, with your stupid grin and your stupider eyes that I can’t get outta my damn head. I _tried_ to leave you alone, and you wouldn’t friggen go. So, I pushed. I was tryin’ to do you a god damned favour.” 

Castiel narrowed his eyes. “Have you ever considered that I don’t want you to leave me alone? That I don’t _want_ to go? Because while you can’t stop thinking about my eyes, all I can feel when I lay in bed at night is your hands. On my back, on my chest, just - just _on me._ I don’t know what the Hell your problem is, Dean. So what we can’t be together? I still had hope we could _at least_ be friends, but you’ve made it abundantly clear you don’t want that either.”

And that’s it, that’s the thing that tips Dean over. He doesn’t know how to begin explaining about his dad, or all of the fucked up shit that lead them there, so he doesn’t. He doesn’t try to defend himself, and he doesn’t try to go to Cass. He sits back down, picking up his quill. “I’m sorry, I’ll leave you alone. I know that I fucked this all up, and I can’t fix it, cuz I can’t change. I can tell you it’s not your fault, but I don’t think that’s gonna make much of a difference at this point.” 

**_Castiel_ **

He heard Dean’s words, feeling his stomach sink. He hadn’t meant to explode on Dean like that, he just- _I need answers. Something. Anything._ He stayed standing for a while, before he moved back down to where he was sitting before, taking the quill out of Dean’s hands. “Dean, I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have exploded like that. I just- it’s not your fault and I don’t want you to leave me alone. I want- I want us to be able to be friends for more than twenty minutes at a time. I don’t understand what’s going on. I thought I did, but now I’ve never been more unsure of anything. I even feel more confident with the whole ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ thing than I do with this.”

“It’s about damn time you say it right.” Dean looked up at him. “You wanna understand? Fine.” Dean stood up and pulled his robe off. “Something you might not have noticed on Christmas cuz you were never behind me.” He loosened his tie and pulled it off, then his undershirts followed. He turned around, revealing a criss-crossed pattern of what looked like old, thick scars. “Makin’ a little more sense yet?”

Castiel eyed the scars and almost reached out to touch one, but pulled his hand back quickly. He closed his eyes, breathing out as he whispered, “your dad?”

Dean nodded, his fingers fumbling slightly as he pulled his shirt back on. He left his tie off but put his robes back on as well. “He’s not abusive, he just gets mad sometimes.” 

Castiel stood and carefully helped Dean straighten his robes. “He gets mad and he _whips_ you, Dean. That sounds a little more than ‘just mad’ to me.” He paused and then flicked his eyes to Dean. “This is what you were talking about on Christmas, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. I know you said you were new to all of that, but I pretty much was too, and there was a reason for that.” Dean’s eyes held a tiny spark of defiance, but he wasn’t looking at Castiel.

“On Christmas you said ‘last time’. Did you- have you- before me?” He asked quietly, his hand moving towards Dean’s, seemingly on its own.

Dean let it happen. “No- well, yeah, but no. It was just once, a few summers ago. Some friends and I were playin’ that game, spin-the-bottle? Anyway, it was barely even a kiss, but the kid’s parents told my dad, and…” Dean fell silent for a moment, chewing his lip. “I didn’t even look at another dude after that, until you, last year.” 

He watched Dean’s mouth, before looking back at his eyes. “Fuck, Dean. I- I’m sorry. I didn’t know I just thought- I don’t know what I thought.” His hand found Dean’s and he squeezed it gently. 

Dean made a noise close to a whimper. “It’s not your fault, you couldn’t have known. I shouldn’t have let any of that happen that night, but the firewhiskey… and you were… and I couldn’t help it. Fuck, I tried. I tried not to pull you into this, but…” Dean’s eyes flicked down to their hands, and he was looking at them like he was confused about what they were doing laced together like that. Like he’d never even _seen_ hands before. 

Castiel noticed this and let go, looking to him. “I really enjoyed Christmas, Dean. I mean it hurt afterwards but I _enjoyed_ Christmas.” He watched his hand again, before he breathed out and whispered, “fuck it.” He grabbed Dean’s hand again, probably more aggressively than intended, keeping his eyes on them as he spoke. “Do you know why I’ve never kissed- or never even looked at a girl before?”

Dean was obviously thrown off by this. “Cuz you’re into dudes?” 

He tensed and closed his eyes because that was the first time he’s ever heard anyone else say it and if after Christmas hadn’t confirmed it, it was definitely confirmed just now. He hadn’t realized he was crying until he went to speak but his voice came out cracked. “Yes.”

Dean looked genuinely concerned. “Cass, there’s nothin’ wrong with that, okay? I don’t give a shit what my dad says, there’s nothin’ wrong with you just because you’re not into girls. You know that, right?”

He closed his eyes and didn’t really answer Dean’s question, changing the topic instead. “You’re the only one I’ve downright told, Hael sort of assumed and that’s why we did the whole ‘fake sex’ thing, and I think Rue found out on her own. So, uh-” he cleared his throat and used his other hand to wipe his eyes before he looked up. “Now you - you know.”

“The sex hair thing, yeah, how could I forget. That image has been burned into my eyelids ever since.” Dean shifted.

He swallowed hard, unintentionally stepping closer to Dean. “And- are you- are you into- is that-” He fell silent, not sure how to ask this question.

“You just started three sentences and didn’t finish a damn one of them. If you’re askin’ if I’m into chicks, the short answer is ‘yeah.’ The long answer is ‘but probably not as much.’” Dean’s eyes met Castiel’s and he sucked in a breath. 

Castiel nodded slightly as he understood. “If- if you don’t give a shit about what your dad says, why can’t you be happy too? He’s not here, he’s- he’s not at Hogwarts.”

“I don’t give a shit what he says --” Dean paused. “Alright, that’s a lie. I do care, I care a lot actually. He’s my dad, Cass, you gotta understand that. He can be a real prick sometimes, but he’s still my _dad,_ and even if I did manage to stop givin’ a shit about what he thinks of me, that wouldn’t stop him from….” he fell silent again, jerking his head back like he was trying to silently reference the scars.

“Then- I’ll stop,” he closed his eyes as he spoke. “I won’t flirt with you and I’ll keep my eyes closed around you as much as I can I just-” he tensed, his eyes still closed. “I need you, Dean. Even if you can’t be with me, we can still try and be friends, right?”

Dean nodded, though it was a movement Castiel couldn’t see with closed eyes. “I get it, angel. I do. But there’s a problem with your plan.” 

Castiel opened his eyes, his stomach flipping at the new nickname and he realized that was going to make this a lot harder. “What? What’s wrong with it?”

“If you close your eyes, you’re gonna be runnin’ into stuff and I’m not that great at _“episkey.”_ Dean’s eyes were on Castiel’s lips as he spoke, but he brought them back up to his eyes.

Castiel smiled a little bit and looked down at the floor. “I- yeah, I suppose that’s true.”

“There’s another problem, too, if I’m bein’ honest. Wait, wait… d’you want me to be honest or do you want me to say the shit that’s gonna make this easier?” 

He looked up at Dean and spoke quietly. “I want you to be honest.”

“Then, in the interest of tellin’ the truth… I should tell you that closing your eyes won’t do either of us any good, unless you also figure out a way to become invisible entirely.” Dean’s hand that wasn’t holding Cass’s came up to his face, and Dean ran his thumb over Castiel’s jaw. “Cuz it ain’t just your eyes that I’ve been thinkin’ about.” 

Castiel closed his eyes again but only momentarily this time, his heart racing because this whole scenario was so familiar. Dean’s hand on Castiel’s face, Castiel’s heart beating this fast. It was just like Christmas, and he knew it would end the exact same way. He wasn’t sure his heart could take that right now, but he wanted it, too. So badly, he wanted it too. “Then what are we supposed to do, Dean? Tell me what we’re supposed to do because I’m telling you, on Christmas, it felt right. I felt… I felt safe and comfortable and everything felt right.”

Dean seemed to struggle with himself for a minute, and his words sounded a little less convincing this time around. “It can’t happen, Cass. It just can’t, we can’t. _I_ can’t. This ain’t fair to you. I’d never be able to take you home to meet my family, or see you over the summer, or even _talk_ to you, cuz we don’t exactly have access to Owl Post out where I live. You deserve somebody that’s gonna be able to do all of those things, and not have to worry about what’s gonna happen if they do.” 

Castiel bit his lip and looked down, speaking quietly. “Is that what you want, Dean?”

“Maybe not, but it’s the best I’ve got right now with the options in front of me. It’s the option that _keeps_ you feelin’ safe. There’s things… there’s things I didn’t mention, about my dad. About what he does for a living. It might not just be me in danger if we - if I…” Dean’s eyes dropped to Castiel’s lips again. 

Castiel watched him, blinking slowly. “If you what, Dean?”

Dean whispered, probably more to himself than to Cass, “just one more time.” Dean leaned in and kissed him. 

**_Dean_ **

_Damnit, damnit, damnit, fuck -_ Dean’s lips were still on Castiel’s, and he couldn’t seem to convince himself to pull away. He had barely thought about it before he did it, and _didn’t you just spend the better part of the last friggen hour tellin’ him you can’t do this and that you were going to stop?_ But he didn’t stop, he couldn’t. 

Castiel kissed him back, seemingly not bothered by anything right now, his hands were resting on Dean’s sides, his thumbs stroking over the clothed skin there, which made Dean shiver. 

Dean wrapped his hand around Castiel’s yellow and black tie, and pulled him even closer. He bit his lip and pulled it back, releasing it a moment before kissing him again. He backed them up until Castiel hit the desk, and then Dean helped him sit up on it, settling between his legs. 

Castiel’s hands were on Dean’s face now and he deepened the kiss, but he eventually pulled back, resting his forehead on Dean’s. He spoke quietly, his eyes still closed. “Dean we- I shouldn’t…”

 _There it is, he basically just admitted he doesn’t want this. That’s your get-out-of-jail-free card. Take it, back up. Walk away, sit down until Professor Trinket comes back. Do it. Why are you still standing there?_ “Yeah,” was all he managed to say. 

Castiel paused for a beat, but then pressed his lips to Dean’s again, whispering “fuck it” before their lips touched.

 _Fuck_ **_me,_ ** _not it,_ **_me._ ** _No, no, Jesus, Dean, sit down. Go sit down._ He didn’t sit. He didn’t move, other than to kiss him back. He was just about at the end of his self-control when Professor Trinket opened the door, stopping dead when she saw them. “Oh - oh my.” 

Dean’s mind blanked, and he stumbled back a step. He was vaguely aware of his tie laying on the desk, and _damnit, it wasn’t even_ **_from_ ** _that._ “We uhh… the lines, they’re… we’re done. We get it, the message was loud and clear, Professor.” 

Castiel didn’t say anything or even turn to look at Professor Trinket. He kept his back to her and his fists balled at his sides as he shivered.

“That will be… all, gentlemen. I see this detention wasn’t a punishment at all, was it?” Professor Trinket _tsk’d_ but kept speaking. “That’s alright, I didn’t want to punish you anyway. Run along, and quickly, before I change my mind.” 

Dean grabbed his books quickly, shoving Castiel’s in his own bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He reached out for Cass’s hand and pulled him out of the room. “Shit, we’re lucky that wasn’t somebody else.” 

Castiel nodded but went with Dean, still holding onto his hand. “Yes, lucky.” He didn’t sound convinced, but he it was clear that he tried.

“Look, angel, I know that _yet again,_ that wasn’t fair to you. I do, I know that. I need you to know that I know that.” Dean kept walking, not letting go of Castiel’s hand. He was aware, very aware, that they were walking down the middle of a corridor and that they could be spotted by anyone at any time, and the thought made him nervous. It made him want to pull away, but he didn’t. _If you can’t even hold his hand here, when it feels this damn good, how would you ever make it work out there?_

Castiel smiled a little bit and squeezed Dean’s hand. “Angel, huh?”

“Your uhh… your patronus. Thought it kinda looked like a guardian angel.” 

“I like it,” he nodded. “I wish I had a nickname for you.”

Dean shrugged. “It’s okay, I don’t really care what you call me.”

Castiel looked as if he wanted to say something, but changed his mind. “So um… where are we going?”

Dean just shrugged again. “Does it matter?”

He shook his head but stayed quiet, following wherever Dean was going.

As it turned out, Dean was going to an empty classroom, because he wasn’t quite done with what they had started in Professor Trinket’s office. 

_**Castiel** _

Castiel knew what this so called ‘gathering’ was for the _moment_ Professor Hanscum came into the common room to retrieve all the Hufflepuffs. They all lined up silently and a wave of sadness seemed to wash over the room. Rue even took Castiel’s hand and squeezed it as they walked to the Great Hall.

Once inside, Castiel looked around and realized that everyone was sitting strictly with their House, not a single person seemed to be out of place. He swallowed hard and sat down beside Rue and Nymphadora, across from Justin and Newt.

“Do you think this is for-” Rue whispered, only to be shushed by Newt.  
“Rue, you have to be quiet, okay?” Castiel nudged her gently, matching her volume. “It’s exactly what you think it’s for.”

The Great Hall fell silent, so quiet you’d be able to hear a pin drop. Castiel watched as Professor Shurley took the stage, clearing his throat into the microphone. “Hello, everyone. Thank you for showing up so promptly. Uh- as you all know, we gathered today because I- along with the other Heads of Houses- have an announcement.” He fell silent for a long moment, before he spoke again. “As of five days ago, this year’s Mudblood Games have come to an end.” 

The room echoed with gasps and ‘who won?’, but Professor Crane raised his hand to silence the room again. “The Chosen fought valiantly and-,” Professor Shurley stopped when a voice was heard from the Gryffindor table.  
“Bullshit they did!” Castiel closed his eyes and swallowed hard when he recognized the voice to be Finnick Odair. _He seriously needs to learn to keep his mouth shut._ Castiel opened his eyes and found that Finnick had fallen silent, wondering if that was his own choice, or if someone had used the _Silencio_ Charm on him. Either way, Castiel was grateful.

“As I was saying,” Professor Shurley began again, “our tributes fought valiantly, but as we all are aware, only one shall make it out alive. I am… _here_ to announce that the winner of this year’s Mudblood Games is Meg Masters, our 6th year Gryffindor!”

Not a single person cheered. Not a single person made a sound, honestly. The room was just full of eyes blinking at Professor Shurley. He cleared his throat. “Uh, that is all. Enjoy your end of the Games feast,” he paused, lowering his voice, “and may the odds be ever in your favour.”

Castiel watched as Professor Crane ushered Professor Shurley off the stage. Castiel swallowed hard as the room slowly began to come to life with chatter. 

“So… Garth’s dead, right?” Rue asked quietly, her eyes glued to the table.

“Yes, Rue, Garth’s dead,” Newt nodded. “He was your friend, wasn’t he?”

“He was everyone’s friend,” Charlie whispered as the golden plates appeared on the table, accompanied by butterbeer.

That night, Castiel was sure not a _single_ Hufflepuff touched their meal and he wondered if it was like that with the other Houses as they made their way back to the common room.

**_Dean_ **

Once again, Dean found himself pulling Finnick Odair back into his seat. He whispered angrily, “Dude, are you fucking trying to get us killed?!” 

Finnick shook his head and fell silent, but his fists were clenched under the table. 

Dean shifted in his seat, looking around at all of the other faces in the room. Most seemed to echo exactly how he felt - even if he couldn’t even explain how he felt at the moment. His eyes fell on Castiel, like he was some sort of magnet for Dean’s gaze. At this point, he wasn’t even trying to hide it, he knew that Castiel was hurting over Garth’s death. He’d never really mentioned it to Castiel, but him and Garth had sort of been friends too. Not close, by any means, but they frequently shared compartments together on the Hogwarts Express, and he’d had Herbology with him his third year. Garth was a good kid, werewolf or not. He didn’t deserve this anymore than any of them did, but it was becoming increasingly clear to Dean that no one else gave a shit about that. He barely paid attention to the rest of the announcement, and he allowed himself to be led out with all the others. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the end of Part One!


	10. Hold the Line

_**Dean** _

They were nearing their end of year exams, which meant O.W.L.’s for Dean. He was nowhere near prepared, and he was drowning under all of the homework he’d been assigned. He was now the only person in Charms that was unable to get  _ anything  _ out of the Patronus Charm. He’d tried almost every memory he could think of, but nothing was working. He decided it was past time that he asked for help, because Professor Trinket made it abundantly clear that they’d be required to do the charm as part of the practical portion of their O.W.L. 

He got to breakfast early, looking for Castiel. He found him sitting with Newt and Rue, and went over to him. “Uh, hey, Novak? You got a minute?” 

Castiel raised his eyebrows but nodded as he stood up. “I’ll be back.” He stepped away from the table with Dean, speaking quietly. “Need your daily fix of my eyes?”

“More than just your eyes, angel, but that’s not what I’m here about. I need you to fix me.” 

“Uh, pardon?” Castiel squinted. “ _ Fix _ you? Fix you how? Fix what? Did you break a bone?”

“You know I can’t make a decent patronus - hell, I can’t make  _ any  _ patronus, and Trinket said it’s part of our exam. I already know I’m going to fail almost all of them, I can’t afford to fail this one too- Charms is supposed to be my best subject. I need you to uhh…” He cleared his throat, the words struggling to come out. “I need your damn help, alright?” 

A small smile formed on Castiel’s face as he nodded. “Yes, alright. I can help you. Now?”

“Yeah, now. I already put off asking you for too long, my exam is in like 3 days.” He started walking out of the Great Hall, talking over his shoulder. “There’s an empty room on the seventh floor, I already asked Professor Mills if we could use it and she said yeah.” 

Castiel watched him go and grinned. “I’ll be there in five!”

Dean shook his head slightly as he walked, muttering under his breath. He made his way up to the seventh floor, glad when the moving staircases that led up there decided to stay in their places. He double-checked that the room was empty and then went in, pulling out his wand. He decided to take a practice run before Castiel showed up. He closed his eyes, his face screwing up in concentration as he picked yet another memory he could at least file in the  _ realm  _ of happy, and muttered “ _ Expecto… patronum.”  _ Nothing. Not a whisper. He frowned at his cyprus wand, then tapped it on his palm as if he was checking to see if it was still working. “ _ Lumos.”  _ The tip of his wand lit up.  _ “Nox.”  _ The light went out. “ _ Wingardium Leviosa. _ ” He swished and flicked at a chair near him, and it rose into the air. He set it back down with a thud, and his frown deepened. “Why won’t you just do the damn spell?” 

Castiel appeared in the classroom. “Yelling at your wand isn’t going to do anything, Winchester.”

Dean turned, knowing his cheeks were red. “I was -- it’s just  _ stupid,  _ this is the only spell it won’t do.” 

Castiel closed the door after him and locked it, before turning back to Dean. “Are you sure you’re saying it right?”

Dean glared at him. “Expecto patronum. It’s not rocket science, man.” 

Castiel frowned slightly but nodded. “It isn’t, you’re right.” He cleared his throat and looked down. “Dean I uh- I hate to ask this but do you - do you even  _ have _ a happy memory?”

Dean stopped being offended by that question a long time ago, because he’d asked himself it enough times. He shook his head. “I thought I did, I thought I had a whole bunch of them. But nothin’ I’ve tried has done any good at all.” 

Castiel walked towards him slowly. “Are you happy when… when you’re kissing me?”

“It’s funny that you think that wasn’t one of the first ones I tried.” 

“I’m flattered, Dean,” he joked with a grin, but quickly turned serious again. “What about a memory with Sam? You like being his brother, right? Were you happy when he came home from the hospital or whatever?”

“No, when he came home from the hospital I wanted to strangle him. Which is awful, I know, but I was only like a friggen year old at the time and he was  _ loud.”  _ Dean made a face. “I tried a couple, but they’re all… I don’t know… tainted? Like they were happy, but the endings were shit.” 

He sighed, bringing his wand out of his robes. “I see. And the hand movements, you’re sure you’re doing those right too?”

Dean nods, demonstrating again. “I don’t think that’s the problem, I honestly think it’s because I don’t have a good enough memory. I guess that’s not really somethin’ you can fix though, so I… maybe you should just go back down to breakfast, this was a dumb idea.” 

Castiel shook his head and stepped towards Dean again. “It’s not a dumb idea, Dean. Have you tried… have you tried the detention memory?”

“What, you mean the one where I spilled my guts and we got busted by a Professor? Yeah, tried that one too.”

“No, no, that’s not what I mean. I think you’re focusing on the wrong parts of the memories. Don’t think about what happened before or after, just think about what was  _ happening _ when I was sitting on the desk.” He stepped back. “Try now, and focus only on that part.”

Except now, Dean is terribly distracted by that memory, and also by how easy it would be to make it a reality again.  _ Empty classroom, he’s like three feet from a desk… I could just… walk forward and --  _ he cleared his throat. “I’m gonna turn around.” He turned, his back to Castiel now. He let that memory fill him, but he was tense, he knew he wasn’t focusing enough. He tried harder, and then -  _ no, shit, too much - too much focus.  _ He made a disgruntled noise and held his wand out, hoping he’d found a sweet spot in the memory. “ _ Expecto patronum!”  _ The faintest wisp of silver smoke snaked its way out of Dean’s wand. “Cass!” 

Castiel grinned from behind Dean but didn’t make a sound, he just stepped closer to Dean.

“Okay, okay, I think I know what I was doing wrong. Hold on.” Dean shifted on his feet, spreading his legs slightly as if having better footing would help him. He focused every thought in his head on what it felt like when Cass took his hand in that detention room, after so long of being robbed of affection. Just that, nothing else. It was so simple, so… pure and devoid of ulterior motives that Dean just  _ knew  _ it would work. “ _ Expecto Patronum!”  _ His words were much louder this time, and a silver phoenix erupted from the tip of his wand. 

Dean just stared at it, his blood pumping quickly through his veins. “Is that --” 

Castiel was now probably way to close to behind Dean, but he whispered. “A phoenix.”

It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Dean frowned. “Do it with me, Cass. A bird and an angel, seems fitting they should be together, right? Wings and shit, or whatever. Just do it.”

Castiel nodded and smiled at Dean. “Alright.” He pointed his wand and said “ _ Expecto Patronum _ !”

“ _ Expecto Patronum!”  _ Dean echoed Castiel’s words, and in an almost blinding burst of light, Cass’s strange patronus and Dean’s phoenix appeared in front of them. They were both even more corporeal looking than Dean had remembered, and this time they didn’t fade. They circled together; it almost looked like they were dancing. 

“Whoa.”

Castiel watched as well, his eyes wide. “Woah is right.”

“Does it feel… stronger, to you?” Dean held his wand arm steady, most of his brain still focused on that singular feeling.

“Yes,” Castiel nodded, keeping his wand still. “Definitely. They’re more… _ vibrant, _ too, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, looks like they wouldn’t have a problem kickin’ the shit out of a dementor, or hell, five dementors.” He glanced over at Castiel’s wand and did a double-take. “Wait… what kind of wood is that?”

Castiel furrowed his eyebrows, probably at the strange question. “Uh… Willow. Why?”

Dean’s heart rate sped up.  _ No, it can’t be.  _ “Unicorn hair core?”

“Yes, Dean. Unicorn hair core.” He tilted his head.

Dean was sure his heart was going to beat right out of his chest, and his phoenix only glowed brighter in response. “Did you buy it at Ollivander’s the year you started school, or did you have it growing up?”

He blinked. “Ollivander’s.”

“Okay, but was it the year you started here or was it before?” Dean knew he probably 

sounded insane, grilling him about his wand like they were studying for a test, but he didn’t care. Pretty much every witch and wizard got their wands from Ollivander’s, that wasn’t the important part. The important part was  _ when.  _

“Dean I don’t understand why this is so important, but if you must know, it was the year I started.”

Dean blinked.  _ Willow. Unicorn hair. Sold the year before I bought mine. This is it,  _ **_that’s_ ** _ it, that’s the twin to my wand.  _ “Cass… our wands were made from the same fuckin’ unicorn.” 

Castiel squinted at him and then looked at their wands. “How the hell do you know that?”

“Ollivander, he got all excited when this wand chose me, he said he’d sold it’s twin the year before - he mentioned that one was willow and this one was cyprus, but that was it, he didn’t tell me who. I never thought it would matter again, cuz I never thought I’d find it but -- Cass,  _ that’s  _ why the patronuses aren’t going away. That’s why they’re so much brighter than before. Cuz our wands… they’re twins. We probably just noticed now because this was the first time we’ve ever tried to do the same spell at the exact same time.” Dean looked dazed, and definitely a little awed.

Castiel lowered his wand and looked to Dean. “Twins? That means- that means they’re supposed to be together, right? They’re stronger together?”

Dean nods. “Stronger together.” He lowered his own wand, and both patronuses disappeared. “Not that they’re not strong apart, but they’re… stronger together. Better.” 

**_Castiel_ **

Castiel had half the mind to laugh.  _ Better together. Stronger together. Is he referring to the wands, or to us? _

“That’s uh, that’s great, Dean,” Castiel nodded. “I’m glad they uh- I’m glad they found each other or whatever.”

Dean’s face fell, and he cleared his throat. “Right. It’s not a big deal, right? They’re just wands, it’s not like we just won the lottery or something.” 

Castiel frowned. “It’s- it’s just ironic, isn’t it?”

Dean shrugged, and it was clear the moment was gone. “Yeah, sure. Anyway, thanks for your help - I honestly couldn’t have done it without you, and now maybe I’ll actually pass at least one of my O.W.L.’s.” 

“Dean, wait,” Castiel closed his eyes and tucked his wand away. “It- It’s a big deal. What are the odds we’d- our  _ wands _ would find each other?” He lowered his voice and it came out in barely a whisper. “What are the odds  _ we’d  _ find each other?”

“I don’t know, does it look like I know a damn thing about wand lore?” Dean shook his head. “Anyway, you were right the first time, I just overreacted because I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all. We should go see if there’s any breakfast left.”

Castiel opened his eyes and watched Dean.  _ Say something. Convince him to stay, you clearly upset him. This was important to him and you ruined it.  _ “Are you hungry?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t eat before I came to find you.” 

_ Are you hungry, what the hell kind of question was that? _ “Oh, uh, okay. Have a good… breakfast.”

Dean looked confused for a second, but ultimately nodded. He was chewing on his lip again. “Yeah, have fun with… whatever it is you’re gonna be doing, I guess.” He faltered, then walked out of the room. 

Castiel closed his eyes and tilted his head back because that couldn’t have gone worse. He waited a moment before leaving the classroom as well, headed to the common room.

** _Dean_ **

Dean failed every single one of his exams, he was  _ sure  _ of it. Even Charms. Sure, he could produce a patronus now, but it wasn’t nearly as strong without Castiel’s next to it, and he knew he screwed up at least three of the incantations on the written portion. He mentally kicked himself, because that had been the one he was most sure he’d pass.  _ Maybe if you’d spent more time reading in the library instead of  _ **_staring_ ** _ in the library, you wouldn’t be having this problem.  _

He thought he might have done alright in Transfiguration, the teacup he’d created only had a tiny crack in it and he wasn’t sure Professor McGonagall even noticed. Potions, however, was a trainwreck. He’d seen his potion start to turn blue, but all he could think about were Novak’s stupid eyes, and the potion never made it to that colour. He’d definitely added to many shrivelfigs and by the time he was done, his Draught of the Living Death potion had  _ looked  _ like living death. Smelled like it, too. He might as well have given himself the ‘T’ instead of waiting for Professor Crowley to do it for him. 

Dark Arts, he was ashamed to admit, probably went the smoothest. They’d used dummies instead of real people for the practical portion, and he’d managed to jinx it in all of the ways requested by Crane. All he had to do was imagine the dummy  _ was  _ Seneca, and the jinxes came easily to him. The written part, though, he’d failed. He’d failed because he didn’t answer a single question with a proper answer. He’d answered with sarcasm and condescension, because it was ridiculous to him that the class even existed, let alone merited an O.W.L. 

The rest of his classes - History of Magic, Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures all went in decreasing order of atrocious. His mind had been a blurry, fuzzy mess in History of Magic, and he couldn’t remember a single date or fact about the Goblin Wars. He’d guessed on practically every question, although he was pretty sure he made some decent guesses at the names of the goblins. They were all similar. Haggar the Horrible, Tormund the Terrible… names like that. 

He was pacing the Gryffindor common room now, waiting for it to be time to go to breakfast. Their exam results wouldn’t be arriving until they got home for the summer, and he was already dreading the look on his dad’s face when yet another owl showed up on their doorstep. 

Sirius interrupted him. “I’m going to either starve to death or fall through the floor after you wear it clean through if we stay here. Let’s just go eat, unless you’d rather eat in Hogsmeade?” 

Dean shook his head. “Nah, I’m not going today. You and James can go, I’m pretty sure Jo and Lisa are already on their way down there.”

James hopped down the last couple of steps from the dorms. “Where can I go?”

Sirius sniggered. “To he--” Dean cut him off. “To Hogsmeade, with Sirius.” 

James shrugged. “Come on then, it would be a shame if any more of Dean’s brain cells wore off because he was stuck here talking to  _ you.”  _ James pushed Sirius towards the portrait hole. 

Dean had to laugh, two insults in one was hard to do. “You guys have fun, alright? Don’t do anything stupid, just cuz it’s the end of the year doesn’t mean they won’t kick you out.” 

Sirius threw up a very rude finger and his friends disappeared. Dean went back up to the dormitory and changed into regular clothes, then headed down to breakfast. 

He sat by himself, still fidgeting nervously due to his exam anxiety as the plates in front of him filled with food. He started to eat, his eyes occasionally wandering in search of Cass. 

Castiel was sitting a few chairs down from Dean, but slid closer when he noticed him. “Hey.”

“Hey. You goin’ to Hogsmeade today?”

Castiel shrugged, sipping his orange juice. “I haven’t really decided yet. Are you?”

Dean shook his head. “Nah, I want to enjoy the castle while I still can. I was actually thinking about heading out to the Black Lake… getting eaten by the giant squid sounds better than going home for the summer.” 

Castiel chuckled quietly. “Yeah, I suppose I’ll stay back too. There’s not much point in going to Hogsmeade so close to the end of the year.”

Dean agreed. “Yeah, you’re right.” He looked around them and noticed there weren’t very many people left in the Great Hall at all, so he scooted a little closer to Cass. “You wanna join me in my little suicide mission?” 

“I’d like nothing more, Dean,” Castiel stated with a grin, looking over at him. “When are we leaving?”

“I would say ‘when I run out of bacon,’ but these house elves aren’t messin’ around… we could be at this table for the rest of our lives. How about now?”

Castiel nodded with a grin and slid out of the chair. “Lead the way, then.”

Dean followed Cass, grabbing a couple of slices of bacon for the road. He fell into step beside Cass like it was the most natural thing he’d ever done. He turned left out of the Great Hall and pushed his way through the giant double doors, sucking in a breath of fresh summer air. “I’m really gonna miss this place this year.”

Castiel nodded and squinted against the sun, using his arm to block it as they walked. “Me too, but we’ll be back. Can never stay away for too long.”

He nudged Cass’ shoulder. “Can I tell you something?” 

Castiel looked over at him and nodded, continuing to walk. “Of course you can.”

Dean was silent for a moment as he looked around the grounds. He took a deep breath, his eyes flitting over the Quidditch Pitch in the distance and the Black Lake to their left. “I think I might end up missin’ you more than the castle.”

  
  


**END OF PART ONE**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of part one... part two begins next week and we decidedly take a turn for the darker.


	11. Bus Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Part Two.

_ **Castiel:** _

  
Castiel folded the last of his clothes that he was planning on bringing back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his _final_ year, and set them in his suitcase. 

He’d be entering into his seventh year and it was insane to think about everything he’d been through since starting there and receiving his letter.

Before he got his letter, he was living at home with his mother and father, and his grandmother who was quite ill. His father was a wizard, his grandmother a witch, but his mother was a muggle.

In Castiel’s fourth year at Hogwarts he’d received a letter from home:

_Dear Castiel,_

_I am writing to inform you of the sudden passing of both your father and your grandmother._

_Your grandmother passed peacefully in her sleep, whereas your father suffered a major heart attack. I am heartbroken as I write this and wish to inform you that your mother will be living with me._

_There isn’t much room in my tiny house, so please only come home when absolutely necessary. My deepest condolences, Castiel._

_Love always,_

_Aunt Naomi._

Castiel shifted on his feet at the memory and zipped up his suitcase. He collected his belongings and tucked his wand into the waistband of his jeans. He’d wait till he was on the train to put his robes on, he’d look a little funny walking through the train station in them.

“Castiel, hurry up! We’re going to be late!”

He looked towards the trapdoor that separated his room from the rest of the house as he heard Aunt Naomi. He cleared his throat and looked at himself in the mirror once more. 

Giving himself a nod of encouragement, he pulled back the trapdoor and descended the ladder from his attic bedroom. He pushed the trapdoor closed and then took the main stairs down to the kitchen.

“Good morning, Castiel,” Aunt Naomi smiled small, looking toward Castiel. “Are you excited to go back to Hogwarts?” Castiel nodded and grabbed a piece of toast off of the plate, hopping up onto the counter. “You have no idea.”

Aunt Naomi swatted at him with a towel and he blocked it with his hand, laughing quietly as he slid off the counter. “How’s uh… _Lailah_ this morning?”

Lailah was Castiel’s mother’s name and he often referred to her as this. She was still his mom, yes, but she hadn’t been the same since his dad and grandmother died.

Aunt Naomi sighed. “There hasn’t been any change, Castiel. She’s still very out of it.” He tensed and looked to the ground. “Aunt Naomi, it’s been three years.”

“You mustn't give up on her, Castiel. She would have never given up on you. You know that,” Aunt Naomi scolded him. “Now, go tell her goodbye and meet me in the car.”

Castiel kept his eyes down but heard Aunt Naomi leave the kitchen. **_She_ ** _has given up on_ **_me_ ** _. Why doesn’t anyone understand that?_

He had only taken one bite of his toast, but suddenly wasn’t very hungry anymore. He set the toast back on the plate and slowly walked into the living room where his mother was sitting in her rocking chair, as usual.

“Hey, mom,” Castiel started slowly. He didn’t get a response and he had honestly become

quite accustomed to not getting one. “I’m uh- I’m leaving to go back to Hogwarts now.” 

He watched her shift his eyes to him and he took a deep breath. _This is more of a response than I’ve gotten all summer._ He carefully sat down on the chair beside hers and took her hand gently.

“I enjoyed getting to see you this summer. Perhaps you and Aunt Naomi can make it out to my graduation this year. It would be lovely to see you there.” He squeezed her hand.

His mother… _Lailah,_ she looked lost. She had fallen into this hole and hadn’t been able to pull herself out. Castiel remembered the summer of his fourth year when he came home and saw her. He couldn’t believe she used to be his upbeat, cheery mother. 

But she did, and now she just looked lost. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I’ll be home again next summer if I don’t see you sooner, okay?”

She blinked and for the first time this entire summer, spoke. “I love you, Michael.” He flicked his eyes between hers and stood abruptly. _Michael was your husband, Lailah. I’m not dad._ He didn’t have the heart to tell her that again. His mother didn’t speak much, but when she did she often confused him with his father. Instead, he moved back to the doorway of the living room and looked back at her. “I know, mom. Me too.”

He quickly turned and grabbed his suitcase at the bottom of the stairs before leaving the house.

\--------------------------------

Aunt Naomi looked over at him as he got in the car. “Did you say your goodbyes?” 

He nodded and stayed quiet for a long moment. “Yes.” 

“Good.” Aunt Naomi started the car and drove in silence for a while before she finally spoke again. “Did she say anything to you?”

_I don’t even know if she knew who I was._ “No, nothing.” He shook his head and kept his gaze out the window. 

“She loves you, Castiel. You need to know that,” Aunt Naomi spoke quietly. “She really does.”

“Yeah, I know.” Castiel nodded and then cleared his throat. “Take good care of her, okay? I think she’s particularly… _sensitive_ right now.” 

“I always do, Castiel. You haven’t a need to worry about her.”

Castiel knew that was true, Aunt Naomi took amazing care of his mother. He just wanted to make sure. 

“Alright, we’re here,” Aunt Naomi spoke and she almost sounded sad. “Be good, Castiel. Enjoy your final year.”

He smiled slightly and nodded to her. “Thank you, Aunt Naomi. For everything.”

He left the car and round to the trunk, grabbing his suitcase out of it. He waved to Aunt Naomi again as she left, and Castiel realized he was alone again.

As he made his way towards Platform 9 ¾, the familiar feeling of butterflies filled his stomach as they often did on September 1st. 

\----------------------------------------

After helping a few first years who were lost, Castiel eventually got himself through the solid wall that was Platform 9 and ¾. 

When he landed and steadied himself, a grin slowly appeared on his face. Standing not more than two feet away from him was Dean Winchester. _Dean always did have a habit of showing up exactly when I needed him most._

**_Dean_ **

Dean had done well enough on his exams that he was permitted to go back to Hogwarts, but that’s about all that could be said of his results. He had been absolutely correct about his dad’s reaction to another owl showing up, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Hogwarts didn’t use the muggle grading system, he was sure he would have gotten his ass beat. As it was, he was able to convince his dad that the “P” he got in Dark Arts stood for “passing” instead of “poor,” and that his “A” in Charms wasn’t the lowest possible passing grade he could have received. 

He was wrong about his Christmas present, however, as none came. He wasn’t entirely upset about this fact, but it now meant that the last family tradition they had was over. They were now just four people living in a house together, and his heart broke all over again for Sam. The summer seemed to drag on because of this, but September 1st eventually came, and Sam and Dean made their way back to Platform 9 ¾. 

Dean turned when he heard the _whoosh_ that signaled someone else coming through the barrier. He grinned widely when he saw it was Cass, and abandoned his cart full of baggage to pull him into a tight hug. 

“Heya, angel.” 

Castiel grinned and hugged Dean back, letting go of his suitcase. “I missed you.”

Dean didn’t want to let go, so he didn’t. “Yeah, you too. Your summer okay?”

“Can’t complain,” he nodded and made no move to let go either. “How about yours?”

Dean was vaguely aware of people starting to stare at them. He cleared his throat, pulling back but staying close. “Oh y’know, it was uhh… it was fine. C’mon, let’s go find an empty compartment before all the friggen first years take ‘em.” 

Cass nodded and grabbed his suitcase, walking onto the train. He found a spot down a little bit and sat down, pulling Dean with him.

Dean grinned, stowing his baggage above the seat and sliding the compartment door shut. He turned to Cass, his voice quiet. “Come here.”

Castiel got up and moved over to Dean with a small grin. “What is it?”

Dean put both hands on Castiel’s face and kissed him, pulling back long enough to say, “This, _assbutt_.” 

“Oh, shut up.” He leaned in and kissed him again, brushing his thumb over Dean’s cheek.

Dean heard the sound of several pairs of feet shuffling outside of the compartment door, so he pulled back again and sat down with a smirk. “Don’t wanna give these people a show, we better wait until the rest get settled.” 

Castiel chuckled quietly, biting his lip. “You know, I was half scared that I was going to come back here and you would’ve changed your mind.”

“I did, about eighty friggen times. Luckily for you, you caught me on a good day, so I guess this is my final answer. For now, anyway, I mean…” Dean’s smirk finally faded. “Nothin’ really changed… at home, I mean. All the shit that was wrong last year is still wrong this year, but…” He shrugged, chewing on his lip and looking at the floor. “I also know I don’t wanna spend another year pretending to fight with you.” 

Castiel watched him, tilting Dean’s chin up. “So don’t fight with me then. Let’s just- let’s be friends to everyone’s faces, but if you want, maybe we can be… _more_ behind the scenes?”

Dean nodded, his lip still caught between his teeth. “Yeah, I’m done tryin’ to pretend like I don’t, but I can’t really ask you to do that. It’s not fair to you to have to hide, especially when you’ve got Helm and his goons constantly giving you shit about not bein’ with anyone.”

He swallowed hard and shrugged. “I’ve dealt with it for the past six years, what’s one more, right?”

Dean’s stomach flipped, because he’d forgotten this was Cass’s last year at Hogwarts. He knew when June rolled around, he might be saying goodbye to him for the last time because without the cover of school, he didn’t really see how they were going to make this work. “Okay, angel. Whatever you say.” He opened his mouth to say something else, but the compartment door slid open and Sam, Sirius and Newt stuck their faces in. 

“Oh good, you guys have room.” Sirius pushed his way in between Newt and Sam, giving the latter a dirty look - probably because he was huge and hard to get around.

Castiel breathed out and tried to stay as close to Dean as he possibly could, watching them file in and offering a smile. “Hi, guys.”

Newt’s bowtruckle Groot scurried onto Castiel’s lap and looked up at him as Newt took the seat on Cass’ other side. Sam and Sirius sat down across from them, all three of the newcomers saying variations of greetings in response. Sam looked at Dean and jerked his head towards Cass. “Thought you hated this guy?” 

Dean’s face turned red and he shook his head quickly. “We uhh… we set aside our differences.” 

Castiel heard Sam and his face momentarily showed _hurt_ , but he cleared his throat and composed himself. “Uh, exactly.”

Sirius looked back and forth between Dean and Castiel with raised eyebrows. “Set aside your differences, eh? There’s a spell strong enough to lift all of them?” Dean stuck his leg out and kicked Sirius, muttering how extremely _not_ funny he was.

Castiel looked over at Newt and then down at the bowtruckle. “Um, Newt, do you mind?”

Newt shook his head, his eyes somewhere just to Castiel’s left. “Not at all, I’ve been trying to get him to socialize more, this is a big step for him.”

Dean’s eyebrows scrunched together as he looked at the bowtruckle, but he looked over at Sam. “Hey, why aren’t you with Alyssa?”

Sam shrugged. “She’s a few compartment’s down with her other friends, I was gonna join her soon.”

Dean nodded. _One down, two to go._ “Sirius, where the hell is the rest of your little posse? James is probably pining over you somewhere.”

Sirius shrugged. “I spent almost all summer with him, Remus and Peter. I needed to talk to someone with a slightly higher IQ for a change.” He paused for just a moment and Dean grinned, but that grin quickly disappeared as Sirius finished his thought. “Shame you lot were the only ones around.” Dean kicked him again.

Even Castiel chuckled at that one. “Where’s Finnick? Isn’t he always around somewhere?” Newt pointed out the window. “He’s there, I think he’s saying goodbye to his grandmother.” Newt looked over at Sirius and Sam. “You guys might want to make room.”

Dean spoke up, because he was supposed to be getting _rid_ of people, not adding extras. “How’s he supposed to fit in here with Sirius’s giant head? It’s a miracle the rest of us can still even breathe.” 

Sirius rolled his eyes, but nodded. “It is quite stuffy in here, isn’t it?”

Castiel cleared his throat again and nodded. “Yes, very. Very stuffy in here.”

“Yeah, so maybe some of you guys should clear out, make some ro--” Dean was cut off by the compartment door opening again, and sure enough Finnick Odair squeezed his way inside and sat down directly across from Dean. 

Dean groaned, and Finnick grinned. “Don’t look so happy to see me, Winchester. I might start to think you actually missed me.” 

Truth be told, Dean _had_ missed Finnick. He’d missed all of them, but he missed one in particular just a little bit -- a _lot_ more. He offered Cass an apologetic glance and leaned back against his seat. “How could anyone miss your ego, Finn? I’m pretty sure it reaches clear to the damn moon.”

Castiel sighed quietly, but chuckled at Dean’s comment. Finnick grinned and winked at Dean. “Only to the moon? Is there anything higher than the moon? Cuz I’m pretty sure that’s where it’d reach.”

Dean only groaned louder. Sam leaned forward, looking around Sirius to Finnick. “Hey, man. How was your summer?”

Finnick shrugged and kicked his feet up so they were on Dean’s lap, folding his hands behind his head. “Oh, y’know. Didn’t do much. How about you, Sammy? How was yours?”

Dean frowned _deeply_ at the legs on his lap. “What the --” He picked up both of Finn’s legs and used them as an excuse to scoot closer to Cass, setting the legs down on the seat to his other side. 

Sam went off on a tangent about all of the spells he taught himself, and how he read _Hogwarts, A History_ a half a dozen times.

“Half a dozen!” Sirius cut in. “I haven’t even read it _once.”_

Sam looked at him and sighed. “I can lend it to you if you’ll _actually_ read it.”

Sirius shook his head violently, which Dean laughed at.

The bowtruckle on Cass’s knee hopped back over to its owner and disappeared into Newt’s robes, and Dean moved his knee just enough to brush against Cass’ without making it obvious.

**_Castiel_ **

Castiel’s body tensed as he looked quickly to Dean’s knee. He’d been worked up the entire summer, and now he was back with Dean and it was being interrupted by four other men that Castiel certainly did _not_ want.

Castiel cleared his throat and looked to Sirius. “I think I hear James calling you. Dean, you hear it too, right?”

Dean looked confused, and then it was as if a lightbulb went off over his head. He nodded quickly. “Yeah, yeah I hear it. You better go, Sirius, you know how he gets.” 

Sirius frowned at both of them. “I don’t hear anything, but you’re probably right. What would he do without me?” He stood, stepping over Finnick’s still outstretched legs, opening the door and disappearing back into the main part of the train. 

Castiel grinned slightly, and then looked to Sam. “And Sam, Alyssa’s probably missing you, isn’t she?”

Sam grinned. “Yeah, I miss her too. I’ll see you guys at the feast, okay?” He stood, mimicking the movements Sirius had used to get over Finnick’s legs. It was decidedly less graceful since Sam had several inches on Sirius, so it was slightly harder to manage. Sam disappeared out of the compartment, leaving just Finnick and Newt. 

Dean seemed to have gotten the hint. He nudged Finnick’s legs off of the seat. “Shouldn’t you be drooling over Lisa or something?”

Finnick scoffed. “Lisa? Have you _seen_ Annie Cresta? She’s fuckin’ stunning.”

Castiel raised his eyebrows. “Annie Cresta… the Hufflepuff, Annie Cresta?”

Finnick nodded. “No, Novak. The _other_ one.” 

Castiel rolled his eyes as Finnick stood, leaving the compartment and mumbling something about how Cass and Annie were on the same Quidditch team, and Castiel must just be blind. 

Newt shifted to the seat across from them, looking back and forth between them. “I don’t exactly have a lot of other friends, but I could take an extended bathroom break if the two of you would like to get… reacquainted.” 

Castiel furrowed his eyebrows. “Where’s Justin? Rue, even? They’ve gotta be around here somewhere. Or Charlie?”

Newt simply stood. “Justin Finch-Fletchley no longer attends Hogwarts, he’s finished his seventh year.” He walked towards the door, pausing for a moment and angling his head down and back to address them again. “For the record, I’m happy for you both. And I won’t say a word, on my honour.” He left, smiling slightly. 

Dean stood up, peeking his head out of the doorway and looking back and forth. “Okay, I think we’re finally in the clear. I didn’t think they were ever gonna leave.” He shut the door and turned back to Cass. “Did you tell Newt about us? It’s fine if you did, I actually believe him when he says he won’t tell anyone.”

Cass shook his head. “I didn’t tell him, but it’s nice to know he’s going to stay quiet about it.”

Dean reached out and pulled Cass to his feet again. “One day, I swear to god, I’m gonna tell the whole world. I don’t know when, we might be 105 when it happens… but one day I’m gonna make sure everyone knows.” He pulled him closer and kissed him again.

Castiel felt his heart break a little bit because he knew that was unlikely. He kissed Dean back anyways and smiled as best he could, pulling back only to say, “I know you will, Dean. I know.”

Dean sat back down, pulling Cass with him again. “I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true. I nearly told Sammy this summer.”

Castiel swallowed hard and smiled through his lie. “I do believe you, Dean. I just… I don’t care if no one knows. If it’s easier on you then… then so be it. I don’t mind.”

Dean frowned for a moment, then pulled Cass to his side and put an arm around him. “I’m gonna figure it out, okay? Either way, I don’t care if you’re fine with it or not, cuz I’m not fine with it. It shouldn’t have to be like this and I know that. I’ll figure it out, you just gotta give me some time.” 

Castiel couldn’t stop his eyes from closing as he relaxed into Dean’s side slightly. He just now realized how tired he was because the attic he lived in was always either too hot, or too cold.

A thought he’d had a thousand times this summer crossed his mind. _I wonder if it would be easier to sleep if Dean was in bed with me._

Dean brushed his lips over the top of Cass’ head. “These seats are wide, why don’t you lay down and take a nap? I’ll wake you up when it’s time to get changed.” 

Cass opened his eyes and nodded as he re-adjusted himself, laying so his head was in Dean’s lap. “You’ll stay here, right?”

Dean ran his fingers through Cass’ hair. “We just worked a different kind of magic so we could be alone together, you really think I’m goin _anywhere_?”

Castiel shook his head with a smile, closing his eyes. “No, I don’t. Thanks, Dean.”

“Mmmhm. Get some sleep, angel. I’m right here.” 

Castiel, for the first time this summer, fell asleep quickly. He was safe, he was happy, and he was going back to Hogwarts, which had quickly become one of his favourite places.

**_Dean_ **

Dean watched Castiel sleep with a smile on his face that he couldn’t quite get rid of. He nearly had a panic attack when the witch selling snacks opened the compartment door to ask if he wanted any Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans or Jelly Slugs, but if she noticed that Castiel’s face was buried in his stomach, she didn’t say anything. Dean sent her away and continued running his fingers through Cass’ hair when she left. His other hand found its way to Cass’s side and he looked down at him, wondering how on earth he ever managed to fight this, and how the hell he was supposed to come out to his family. He made up his mind that he was going to start with Sam and go from there, because he couldn’t really see Sam hating him for it. 

A few hours later, Dean recognized some landmarks that told him they were getting close. He sighed, knowing that when they got there, moments like this would be few and far between. His hand tightened around Cass’s side and he said gently, “Hey… sleeping beauty, it’s time to get up.” 

Castiel moved a little bit, but otherwise didn’t wake up.

Dean slid out from underneath him slowly, laying him down on the seat. He rummaged around in the compartment above the seats, pulling out his suitcase. He changed into his robes quickly, making as little noise as possible. When he was done, he stowed the trunk again and leaned over to kiss Cass. 

Castiel blinked his eyes open slowly, squinting against the light. He kissed Dean back as he sat up slightly. “Hello.”

Dean grinned at him, kneeling on the floor between the seats. “Morning, sunshine. Good nap?”

He smiled and rolled with a yawn so he was laying on his back. “The best nap ever.”

“Well, I’m glad. We were nearly outed by the witch that sells the snacks, but other than that… it’s been an uneventful ride.” He paused, then added with a smirk, “noisy one, though. Didn’t know you could snore like that.” 

He rolled his eyes with a grin, pushing his fist into Dean’s chest as he stretched. “Shut up, I do not.”

Dean laughed. “The hell you don’t. It’s okay though, honestly, it was kinda cute. You drool, too”

Castiel blushed, closing his eyes again. “Stoppit.”

Dean’s smirk widened. “Make me.”

He raised his eyebrow but kept his eyes closed. “Don’t tempt me, Winchester. I frankly don’t care that we’re on a train full of wizards and witches and creatures alike.”

Dean’s smirk didn’t drop. “Oh, I’m tempting you, _Novak._ You talk in your sleep too, were you dreamin’ about me?”

“Honestly? That’s highly likely.” Castiel shrugged, opening his eyes and turning his head to Dean. “Big spoon or little spoon?”

“Who, you? You’re definitely a little spoon.” Dean made a face like that was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I wasn’t asking about me, Dean.” He chuckled, watching him. “I was trying to confirm if my dream was true, that’s all.”

Dean squirmed, suddenly looking out of place. “Oh, uhh… I don’t really know, I guess. I guess I’d default to the big spoon, since we already established you’re the little one.”

Castiel shrugged, breathing out. “I wouldn’t know what I was either. Perhaps we could help each other figure it out?”

Dean exhaled as if he was relieved he wasn’t the only one that hadn’t done a lot of cuddling. “Yeah, yeah. We help each other figure everything else out, so why not that?”

The compartment door slid open and Raphael Helm stuck his fat, ugly head in. He looked from Dean on the floor to Cass on the seat and his eyebrows disappeared into his hair. “I came to let you know it’s time to change into robes, but suddenly I’m surprised you two have clothes on at all.” He looked at Castiel. “I suppose this explains a couple of things, doesn’t it?”

Dean got to his feet, looking angry. “Don’t you have some little animal to tort--”

“Dean,” Castiel pleaded, sitting up. “Ignore him, he’ll go away. He doesn’t have any other joy in his life other than making fun of me. If it helps him sleep at night…” he stood up as well, narrowing his eyes at Raphael, “let him.”

Raphael let out a condescending laugh and turned to leave. “I should have known.” He walked out of the compartment, moving to the next one. 

Castiel let out the deepest breath ever and looked to the ground, his body visibly tensing. “It’s fine.”

Dean looked like he was stuck somewhere between anger and terror, and he didn’t move

right away. “Did he -- is he -- we weren’t even doin’ anything, he has no proof of anything. Nobody’s gonna believe him.”

Castiel licked his bottom lip and nodded. “Yes, exactly. Everything’s fine.”

Dean frowned at the floor for a long moment. “Y’know what, fuck that guy. Fuck anyone that’s gonna say shit about it, I don’t care. I got a whole damn year to figure out the consequences, and it turns out I’m not really a fan of closets.” He grabbed Cass’s arm, pulling him out of the compartment and into the hallway. He looked around them, noticing some kids scattered throughout the train. He looked at Cass, saying quietly, “Jesus Christ, I’m really gonna do this.” 

“Dean, what the hell are you doing?” Castiel watched him.

“I’m sayin’ ‘fuck that guy, and fuck anyone that’s gonna say shit about it.’” He pushed Castiel up against the wall between two compartments and kissed him for the whole train -- the whole world -- to see. 

Castiel kissed him back, his arms sort of extending at his sides as he tensed, before relaxing again, bringing his hands to Dean’s face.

Somewhere a little ways down the train, someone whispered, “Hey, is that Novak and Winchester?” Dean tensed, his whole body locking up, but he didn’t break the kiss. 

Castiel brushed his thumbs across Dean’s cheeks, probably in hopes to calm him down. He moved one hand down and interlocked their fingers, staying completely still.

Dean’s brain caught up with his mouth, and he pulled back. He didn’t move his hand, but his eyes were wider than he thought was possible and he quickly looked around them, because people _definitely_ saw them. He noticed that not a single person was looking at them though, they had all returned to the conversations they’d been having before this little public display of affection. He breathed out, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. “I think --- I think it’s okay, I don’t think anyone really cares.” _Your fuckin’ dad’s gonna care._

Castiel opened his eyes, immediately dropping them to the floor. “Dean, you didn’t have to- I know you weren’t- it would’ve been-”

Dean couldn’t seem to get his heart rate back to normal, and he was dangerously close to vomiting. “No, no, it’s fine, it’s cool, it was bound to happen eventually, right? And maybe none of them noticed, or they won’t say anything, it’s not like any of our friends saw it. Fuckin’ Raphael didn’t even see it, where’d that fuckin’ prick go, anyway?”

Rue appeared out of seemingly nowhere, a grin on her face. “Or, Dean Winchester, no one simply cared and everyone is happy for you both.”

The skin on his back felt like it was a thousand degrees, and he was now convinced he was going to throw up. “I gotta pee, good to see you Rue, hope you had a good summer.” He took off, moving as fast as he could towards the restrooms.

  
  


**_Castiel_ **

Castiel watched Dean go, his heart racing. _What the hell just happened? Did he just- is that really- does everyone know now?_

“Castiel?” Rue spoke hesitantly. “Are you okay? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

He looked to her briefly, and then back in the direction Dean ran. “Yeah, uh, I’m fine, Rue. Do you know how many people saw?”

She nodded. “Everyone here saw, most of them just smiled and returned to whatever they were doing before.”

“Right, yes, okay. Well uh, I’m going to go change into my robes, I’ll see you for the feast, okay?”

She nodded. “Alright, Cass. I’ll see you later.” 

Castiel nodded to Rue and made his way back to the compartment. He grabbed his robes from his bag and then made his way to the restrooms as well. He knocked on the door, pressing his ear up against it. “Dean?”

The only response he got was the sound of Dean vomiting. 

Castiel frowned but made his way back to the compartments. He shut the door to it and took his shirt off, beginning to put his robes on. He pulled his wand from the waistband of his jeans and set it on the chair.

Dean came back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He stopped when he saw Castiel half undressed still. “Uhh…”

Castiel jumped and quickly pulled his robes on, smoothing them out as he turned to Dean, his face flushed. “Oh, uh, sorry. I thought you were going to take longer.”

Dean shook his head, a bewildered expression on his face. “No, don’t - don’t be sorry. I uhh… just kinda wish I’d have gotten here sooner.”

Cass’ core tensed as he licked his lips quickly, changing the subject. “Are you- are you okay?”

“Yeah, aces. Don’t take that the wrong way, I wasn’t pukin’ cuz of you or anything, it’s just…” He frowned, his eyebrows pinching together. “I’m just nervous, I guess.” 

Castiel stepped towards him, now half in his robes and half in muggle clothes. He brushed his thumb across Dean’s jaw, nodding with a whisper. “Me too.”

“What about your family? They gonna be as pissed as mine?”

He pulled his hand back and shook his head. “No, uh, I don’t think they’ll be too upset.”

Dean relaxed at that, and looked out the window. “We’re here, I can see the castle.” He turned back to Cass. “After the feast, you wanna meet me in that room we practiced the patronuses in? I uhh… you know an awful lot about me, but I don’t know much about you. I wanna learn, if you’re okay with that.”

Castiel flicked his eyes between Dean’s, but nodded once. “Yes, I think I’d like that.” He looked down at his jeans. “I do however have to finish changing so, uh…”

Dean smirked. “What, you want me to leave or somethin’? What if I’d rather watch?” He sat down, spreading his legs slightly and throwing an arm over the back of the seat. “I promise I won’t touch.” 

Castiel bit his lip and looked at Dean. “Yet.”

Dean clicked his tongue. “We’ve got a smart one on our hands.”

He grinned and rolled his eyes and indeed did change into the rest of his robes, tucking his wand into his pocket when he was dressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate anyone actually reading this more than you know. Thank you. 🖤


	12. Psychotic Reaction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry this is late. Life’s a bitch sometimes. But here 🖤

**_Dean_ **

Sitting at the Gryffindor table, Dean had a pretty good view of the rest of the Great Hall. He was sitting between Finnick and Sirius as always, with Jo Harvelle and Lisa Braeden across from them. Sammy was sitting with Alyssa and her friends about halfway down the table, and the whole Hall was buzzing with people catching up with each other. His eyes searched for Castiel and he found him, sitting with his usual group of Newt, Charlie, Hael and Rue. He smirked to himself thinking about the scene Cass and Hael had put on in the Charms corridor last year, and he wondered to himself if she already knew that there was a very valid, very male reason that Cass wasn’t interested in her. 

Dean got temporarily lost in the memory of Cass’s sex hair and ridiculously hot disheveled look that day, and was pulled out of it by Professor Shurley.

“Welcome everybody, it’s time to start another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I’m sure you’re all very excited, but there are some start-of-term announcements that I’d like to make.” Professor Shurley shifted on his feet, suddenly looking nervous. “As some of you may remember, last year Hogwarts played host to a de-- a dementor.” He glanced behind him at Professor Seneca Crane - Death Eater and general douche - before facing the students again. Dean fixed his eyes on Crane, bracing himself for what was about to come out of the Headmaster’s mouth. “It would seem that Voldemort has requested they take up a more permanent residence here. They will be confined to the third floor corridor, so I strongly suggest you don’t go there unless it’s absolutely necessary, and have some chocolate on hand.” 

Dean watched as Crane sat forward and said something clipped to Shurley. The Headmaster, to his credit, leveled a glare at Crane and said loudly enough for everyone to hear that he didn’t give a shit what was said, he was allowed to properly warn his students. For the first time since becoming a student here, Dean actually believed Headmaster Shurley might care for their well-being. 

“Secondly,” the Headmaster continued, “Owl Post has been officially suspended until further notice. You will not be permitted to send or receive letters, packages, or anything else to anyone outside of this castle.” This news was met with a loud grumble of disapproval; Dean’s own voice joining in even though it made very little difference to him. Professor Shurley raised a hand. “I said until further notice, not ‘until the end of time itself,’ guys, so let’s dial it back a little bit. I’m working diligently to get that particular decree overturned.”

Finnick, true to form, stood and shouted above all the others, “Do you even run this school anymore?” 

No longer surprised by Finnick’s outbursts, Dean simply pulled him back down to his seat as the Headmaster answered. “No, Mr. Odair, I do not. I have not run this school in quite some time, and I’m thrilled that one of you finally realized it.” 

Seneca Crane stood quickly, and the start-of-term announcements were brought to an abrupt halt. He watched as Professor McGonagall leveled a glare at the Death Eater, and she herself stood to address the school. “After the Sorting Ceremony, you will eat your food and return to your common rooms. We will be a lot stricter this year on students being out of bed after hours since there will be Dementors on site at all times.” Crane took a step towards her and she  _ shushed him. _ Dean’s eyebrows shot up and he was fairly certain he’d never been more impressed with another human being in his entire life. “As I was saying,” she continued as if she’d simply swatted away a fly, “You will need to be more careful this year about sneaking around.” She offered the smallest smirk Dean had ever seen, and he fought the urge to laugh. 

Crane took yet another determined step towards her and she huffed. “Yes, yes, alright, I’m finished.” She paused, doing a double-take at Crane’s livid expression. Her mouth stretched tight and she gave him a look that could make even a dementor flinch back. “If your face gets any redder, I might mistake you for a tomato and accidentally slice you up over my evening meal. Control yourself, Professor Crane. You’re supposed to be a teacher, not a child whose toy has just been incinerated.” 

Dean couldn’t help it, he cheered. Thankfully for him, he wasn’t the only one. The entire hall erupted in whoops and general exclamations of pride. Professor McGonagall smiled so slightly that it was barely there, and took a few steps towards the Sorting Hat. 

The Sorting Hat had apparently decided to skip the song altogether this year, which Dean assumed was probably due to the fact that nothing could follow a performance like the one Professor McGonagall had just put on. The Sorting began, and Dean found himself paying attention this time. 

He was determined to make this year better than last year, and that had started on the train with Castiel. He was going to drink in everything that Hogwarts had to offer, and everything that Cass had to offer, as well. He flicked his eyes to Sam as “Steen, Malvolio” was sorted into Slytherin. He wondered if Sam already heard the news from someone that saw him and Cass on the train, or if he was going to have to outright tell him. Either way, he was in for a very awkward conversation once they got to the common room.

“Fournier, Zorione” became this year’s first Ravenclaw, and “Knaggs, Anisa” became the second. On and on it went, and it was 11 students before “McGregor, Garsea” finally joined the Gryffindors. For the first time since he came to Hogwarts, Dean cheered with the rest of his House to greet their newest member. 

Dean found himself reminiscing on his own Sorting. He’d been nervous as hell; he had barely known anything about the individual Houses but he did know that where you were sorted was a big deal. He’d stumbled as he walked towards the stool the hat was on, and flinched when Professor McGonagall had placed it on his head. He had heard the song and watched two dozen other kids get sorted before him, but he had still been surprised when the Sorting Hat began to talk into his ear and use Dean’s head as his own personal swivel. Dean had listened as the Hat threw out words like  _ ‘selfless’  _ and  _ ‘brave’ _ and  _ ‘kind,’  _ and he would have thought the Hat was digging around in the wrong brain if he hadn’t followed it up with ‘ _ arrogant,’  _ and  _ ‘ruthless.’  _ Those had sounded more like Dean, or at least the Dean that had set his ass down on that stool after years of hunter conditioning with his dad. The Sorting Hat seemed to take a lot longer with him than anyone else, and he had been sure that he was going to get kicked out entirely because he simply didn’t belong anywhere when the Hat said, “ _ better put you in… GRYFFINDOR! _ ” Dean hadn’t known how to feel at the time, but sitting here now in his sixth year, he couldn’t imagine being with any other House.

\------------------------------

The feast began and ended too quickly, and Dean scrambled to his feet with the rest of the Gryffindors. He searched for Cass in the crowd, attempting to convey “I need to go get the password to the common room and then I’ll meet you there,” with a hopeful expression and a weird little jerk of his hand.  _ Smooth, Winchester. Real fuckin’ smooth.  _

He followed the others to the common room and was nearly beside himself with laughter when he found out that James Potter had been made a Prefect. “You! Seriously? Who’d put you in charge of  _ anything?!”  _ Prefects were supposed to be the ones that led the other students both literally and figuratively. Sort of like the student council, or maybe just glorified hall monitors. Dean was still trying to reel in his laughter when James told the others the password, and he had been making too much noise to hear it. “Wait, wait, what was it?” 

James gave him a look. “Maybe if you spent more time listening and less time goofing around, you’d have heard what it was the first time.” A split second passed before James broke out in a smile and joined in Dean’s laughter. “The password is ‘Impala,’ like the antelope. And you’re right, I don’t know what the hell Professor Mills was thinking when she made me a prefect.” 

“Antelope? Screw the antelope, the only Impala I acknowledge is that beautiful beast of a car my dad drives. This’ll be an easy one for me to remember.” He followed the others into the now-opened portrait hole and breathed in the scent of the common room. The fire was already going, and Jo Harvelle was passing out mugs of hot chocolate and butterbeer. He opted for the hot chocolate, and blew on it gently before taking a sip. “Damn, it’s good to be back here.” He sat down in one of the big chairs by the fire and scanned the room. “Feels like finally comin’ home, y’know?”

From behind him, he heard Finnick scoff. “You moron, we just  _ left  _ our homes, this is  _ school.  _ Don’t tell me you went all nerd over the summer.” 

Dean frowned, sitting forward so he could turn and look at Finnick. There was no malice there or condescension of any kind, and Dean was forcefully reminded that most of the people he knew actually had families that loved them. 

_ Families. Cass. I was supposed to go learn about Cass’ family.  _ He stood quickly, grabbing a second mug of hot chocolate from Jo and scurrying towards the portrait hole. “Somebody cover for me, I gotta be somewhere.” He didn’t wait for his response as he made his way as quietly as possible to the room on the seventh floor where he and Castiel had cracked the code of the Patronus Charm and realized their wands had twin cores. He was relieved to see he got there first. He ducked inside, shutting the door quietly and setting the mugs down on a desk in the front row. He fidgeted with his robes and tried to straighten out his hair with his hands.  _ Dude, will you chill out? This is just Cass, it’s not like he doesn’t know what you look like. It’s gonna be fine, and you’re not here to make out anyway - you’re here to actually be a decent boyfr--  _ He mentally cut himself off from saying the word.  _ To be a decent human being and actually get to know the guy that you’re dragging into eight metric tons of bullshit.  _

He found himself pacing the room, chewing on his lip. He took an occasional sip from his hot chocolate and began to wonder if Cass forgot, got held up, or was simply not going to come. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard the door open and he turned around quickly to face it. “Cass?”

_**Castiel** _

Castiel smiled slightly and closed the door after entering the classroom. “Yes, it’s me. Sorry, Johanna Mason wouldn’t stop talking.”

Dean grinned at him. “I knew I didn’t like her much.” He hurried over to the desk and grabbed a mug. He turned and handed it to Cass. “Hot chocolate?”

“Ooh, yes. Thank you.” He took the hot chocolate with a grin and sipped it, walking over to sit on top of one of the desks. “So…”

Dean sucked in a breath as he watched him. “So… now I want you to tell me all of your secrets.” He grabbed the other mug and sat on the floor, just a couple of feet in front of Cass. 

Castiel chuckled, looking down at him. “Okay, well… my father was the wizard in my family, my grandma too. My mom’s a muggle. I don’t have siblings, it’s just me all on my own.”

Dean frowned. “Was?” 

Castiel nodded and sipped his hot chocolate. “Yes. In my uh, in my fourth year here both my father and my grandmother died. I got a letter from my aunt who informed me.”

Dean paused, making a face. “They told you that in a  _ letter?” _

Castiel laughed quietly and set his mug down. “Yes, in a letter. My mom lives with my aunt now, but her house is quite tiny. The attic is my room, if that tells you anything.”

“Is that why you stay here for the holidays?”

“Precisely.” Castiel nodded. “The letter told me to ‘only come home when absolutely necessary.’ So, I stay here as much as I can.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, no I get that. I pretty much got told the same thing.” He took a sip of his hot chocolate and wrapped his hand around the mug. “So, what’s your mom like?” 

Castiel’s face fell as he tilted his head. “I don’t know, honestly. The last time we had a conversation was before I came here for my fourth year.”

“Huh? I thought you said she lived with you and your aunt?” 

He rubbed his sweaty palms on the bottom of his robes. “She uh, she more-so just  _ exists _ than actually lives. When my dad and grandmother died, she sort of just… shut down? She can’t do anything for herself anymore, she spends all day sitting in her rocking chair in the living room just… staring.”

Dean was silent for a moment, and then he set his mug down on the floor next to him and pushed himself to his feet. He walked over, settling between Cass’s legs and wrapped him up in a hug. “I’m sorry, angel. I can’t imagine what that’s like.” 

Castiel hugged Dean back and swallowed hard. “I mean, it’s not all terrible. My aunt’s nice, but I think she believes my mom’s- or uh, Lailah, as I call her… I think she thinks she’s going to get better. It’s been three years and nothing’s changed.”

Dean pulled back just enough to look at him. “And here’s me thinkin’  _ my  _ shit was bad. How the hell did you survive losin’ everyone like that?” 

“I was here.” He shrugged. “I pushed all of my family stuff back and focused on being here. It was hard, but I mean… I survived.”

“I’m really proud of you, Cass. I am. Not many people could go through that kinda shit and come out the other side of it okay.” 

Castiel smiled and looked up at Dean. “Thanks, but I mean your life isn’t exactly easy either.”

“Yeah, but my life bein’ bad doesn’t make it any easier for you to get through yours. The two aren’t related, and one doesn’t take away from the other. I don’t know if I could get through what you just described.” Dean shrugged with one shoulder, his hands on Cass’s thighs. 

Castiel bit his lip and placed his hands on top of Dean’s. “You’re right.”

He nodded once, flashing a brief smile. “Of course I am. Anything happy you wanna share?” 

Castiel tilted his head as he thought. “Honestly? Nothing I can think of off the top of my head. Nothing happy from home, at least.”

Dean smiled, leaning in to kiss him gently. “I know the feeling. Guess we gotta make our own happy memories, huh?”

Castiel smiled and closed his eyes, nodding once. “I suppose we do, yes.”

“Did you always know you had magic, or was it a surprise when you got your letter? Did your dad tell you about all this?” Dean brushed his thumbs over Cass’s thighs.

“Oh, yes. He told me everything. He tried to teach me magic outside the school grounds, but they threatened to expel me before I even got accepted.” Castiel laughed, watching Dean.

Dean laughed too, loudly enough that he threw a hand over his mouth to stifle it. “You? I can’t imagine you doing anything bad enough to get expelled.”

Castiel shrugged, nodding in agreement. “Yes, you’re right. I’ve always wondered how they even knew he was teaching me. It’s almost creepy, isn’t it?”

“There’s a ban on underage magic. I think it’s some kind of Trace. If a kid uses magic, it alerts the Ministry -- or at least that’s what Professor Mills told us first year. I knew I was weird, but I didn’t know I was a wizard until that owl showed up.”

“I’m glad you are one, though. We probably would’ve never met if you weren’t.” Castiel reached over and picked up his hot chocolate to sip it. “Have you ever practiced magic at home? Cast like, one little spell?”

Dean’s eyes widened in what appeared to be fear, but it disappeared quickly. “Uhh, no. Never tried anything if I wasn’t here or in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley.” He cleared his throat, taking a small step back.

Castiel frowned, watching him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything, Dean.”

Dean seemed to take a very long time to make up his mind about something, but he eventually looked up at Castiel. “My dad’s a hunter. Not deer and rabbits and shit, but  _ people _ . The supernatural. Werewolves and vamps and shifters and ghouls and…” His voice dropped to a barely audible level. “And wizards.”

“Oh.” Castiel furrowed his eyebrows. “But you and Sam are wizards and you’re here at a school full of the supernatural.”

Dean’s shoulder’s sank. “Yeah, I know. If it wasn’t for my mom, I honestly don’t know if me and Sammy would  _ be  _ here right now.”

Castiel slid off the desk and walked to Dean, interlocking their fingers as he stood close. “But you are here, and that’s what matters.”

Dean looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it, instead, he said simply, “Yeah, you’re right.” 

Castiel frowned, watching him. “You were going to say something else. Say it, you don’t have to hide things from me.”

Dean kept his eyes to the ground. “I think if it wasn’t for my mom, my dad might’ve killed us. Or disowned us, or somethin’. He can’t even look at either one of us now.” 

“He’s stuck in his ways, Dean. He only knows what he wants to know, refusing to even try and understand that we’re still the same.” He tilted Deans chin up, meeting his eyes. “If he can’t or simply doesn’t want to accept you or Sam, then it’s his own loss. Not yours.”

Dean pulled his lip between his teeth and shrugged. “Still sucks. But I guess that’s life, right?”

Castiel frowned again, but nodded. “I suppose so, yes. You know, earlier this morning when we left my aunts, I went and said goodbye to Lai-  _ my mom _ , and she told me she loved me. She called me my dad’s name, so I’ll never really know if she meant me or if she thought I was him, but it was something. Surprisingly, though, it didn’t make me feel any better.”

Dean’s eyes flicked between Castiel’s and he finally released his lip. “She’s your mom, Cass. I bet she loves you like crazy, even if her wires get crossed when she says it.” 

He licked his lips quickly and shrugged. “She’s my mom, sure, but she’s different.  _ Way _ different. When I went home for the summer after fourth year… I barely recognized her. My aunt kept telling me ‘she’s still your mom!’ or ‘she just needs time’ but it’s been three years. Honestly, Dean, I don’t think my mom’s in there anymore.”

Dean didn’t try to argue. He pulled Cass into another tight hug, his hands coming up under Cass’ arms and gripping his shoulders. “I’m sorry, angel.” 

He closed his eyes and relaxed into Dean, holding onto him tightly. “I’m sorry too, Dean.”

They stayed like that for awhile and eventually, it was hard to tell which heartbeat was whose. Dean pulled away first, clearing his throat. “It’s probably gettin’ real late, Cass. We should head back before they send out the search parties.”

Castiel nodded. “I suppose we should, yes. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Breakfast?” Dean’s face lightened considerably at the prospect of bacon. 

Castiel laughed quietly and picked up his now empty hot chocolate mug. “Breakfast sounds good.”

**_Dean_ **

Dean made his way down to Care of Magical Creatures with Sam and Sirius following closely behind. Now that Sam was a fifth year, they had lessons together. Dean normally hated the integration of the fifth, sixth, and seventh years, but it now allowed him to have all of the people he cared about in one room, once a week. This particular class was shared with the Hufflepuffs, and Castiel originally wasn’t going to be one of them. When they found out that he was in the other half of the split class, the two had gone to Professor Mills and Professor Greyback and practically begged that Castiel be switched. Greyback originally said no, until he asked Dean to repeat his last name. When he told him, Greyback asked specifically if he was John Winchester’s kid. Dean’s first instinct had been to lie; to distance himself from his father. But something told him he’d be better off with the truth in his case, so he confirmed it. Greyback readily agreed after that. Dean still wasn’t sure exactly what happened there, but he didn’t care.

It worked out two-fold. Because of the changes they’d made to Castiel’s schedule to accommodate the switch, they now also had Potions together again, as well as Astrology. Sam shared this class and Dark Arts with him, and he had also had Charms with Sirius. All in all, it wasn’t a bad lineup. 

Cass was already waiting for them down by the hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where this particular class was held. There was a single tree next to the hut, with what looked like a giant bees nest dangling from one of the lower branches. 

Dean approached Castiel and followed his gaze towards the tree. “What the hell is that and why is my skin already crawling?”

Sam answered before Cass could get a word out. “Tracker-jackers. Has to be.” 

Sirius turned to look at him. “Bless you?”

“No, I didn’t sneeze, that didn’t even sound like sneezing. They’re called tracker-jackers, they’re basically magically supercharged hornets. Voldemort used them a couple of years ago to wipe out an entire village of muggles.” 

Dean’s jaw went slack. “How the hell do you know that?”

“I know that, Dean,” Sam stated with an annoyed tone, “because unlike you, I actually read the Daily Prophet.” 

“The Daily what now?” Dean vaguely recalled hearing the name before, but couldn’t place it. 

“The wizard newspaper? Honestly, how do you sleep at night without knowing what’s going on out there?” Sam’s tone was playful, but there was still an underlying edge that Dean couldn’t quite place. 

“Usually on my back, cuz waking up with morning wo--” He grunted as Cass elbowed him, and Sirius burst out laughing.

Sam rolled his eyes. “At least one of us pays attention.”

Dean opened his mouth to retort, but the nest hanging from the tree gave an angry buzz that shut him up and sent him moving back a few feet. “Alright, Mr. Know-It-All, if these things took out an entire village, why the hell are they here?”

Castiel cut in. “I’m surprised you’d even ask that, given what we were collectively put through last year. I imagine they’re here to injure, maime, torture, or humiliate us.” 

Dean blinked at him. “Yeah, sounds like my kinda class. Where the hell is Professor Greyballs at anyway?” Dean saw Castiel’s eyes get way wider than should be possible for a human, and his stomach sank. “He’s… he’s right behind me, right? This is where you tell me he’s right behind me?”

Castiel nodded quickly, and Dean turned to see their professor. He was a large man, Fenrir Greyback. Broad shouldered and hairy in places people had no right to be hairy. His breath stank and his teeth looked like he’d intentionally filed them down with something. “Sorry, Professor Grey _ back.”  _ He made sure to put a kick on that last syllable in a last ditch effort to keep himself out of detention just two weeks into the year. “Tracker-jackers, huh? Nice choice.” 

Greyback bared his teeth in what no sane person would call a smile. “I’m glad you agree, Winchester. Maybe you’d like to be the first to play with them?” 

Dean looked around wildly for help from the other students that had gathered around. Most of them were very interested in things on the ground, and the rest just outright shook their heads or stepped back from him. Dean set his jaw.  _ Here we go.  _ “Yeah, alright. How horrible can they be, they’re just bees, right?”

Greyback’s sneer widened and he barked a laugh. “If you think these are bees, you’re dumber than you look. Go on then. Poke the nest.”

Dean stared at him with his eyebrows raised. “Wait, poke it? Like actually walk up to it and poke the thing? Buddy, I’m not  _ that  _ stupid.” Dean started shaking his head, and Greyback pushed him with enough force that he smacked right into the nest.

For a moment, nothing happened. Dean scrambled to his feet with his arms covering his head, but all he heard was the sound of angry buzzing. He uncovered his face and looked to the nest, relaxing slightly. “Sorry, Professor, not today. Guess my face is just too pretty to sting.”

The second he turned his eyes away from the nest, he heard Sam. “Dean, run!” 

Dean looked to Sam to find him pointing open-mouthed to a spot just behind Dean’s head. He turned quickly, and was met with a face full of tracker-jackers. 

**_Castiel_ **

Castiel’s jaw dropped, momentarily frozen with fear. He turned to Professor Greyback, speaking loudly. “Do something! They’ll kill him, you have to do something!”

Greyback just laughed. “They’re not going to kill him, and even if they did, would it really be such a loss? One less mudblood in the world sounds good to me.” Greyback stood back and watched as Dean was repeatedly stung, his arms flailing wildly.

“I’ll tell Professor Shurley! I’ll tell him you just watched as Dean was attacked!” Castiel pulled his wand out and pointed it at Dean, trying to think of any spell that could fix this.

“You’re just as dumb as Winchester is, who do you think got his hands on a nest full of tracker-jackers? They don’t run around giving those to just any--”

“ _ Stupify!” _ Castiel shouted over him, pointing his wand at the tracker-jackers.

Sirius got the hint quickly, and followed Castiel’s lead. “ _ Impedimenta!”  _

Sam turned his focus towards Professor Greyback as Dean crawled away from the temporarily stunned and blocked tracker-jackers. “Is this some sort of a joke to you? Where’s the antidote!” 

Greyback looked like he was thoroughly enjoying the scene in front of him. “Relax, I’m not going to let him die, don’t go telling your daddy on me. The purpose of this exercise is to see the effect that tracker-jacker venom has. I’ll provide the anti-venom when Mr. Winchester fully demonstrates those effects, and not a second sooner.”

Castiel nodded to Sirius, telling him to keep stunning the tracker-jackers. Cass ran towards Dean and helped him up, pulling him away from the nest and the stunned bees. “Dean?!”

Dean looked up at Castiel, his facial features swollen and twisted in horror. He pushed back from him, falling onto the ground and crawling backwards too fast for his arms to keep up. 

“Dean, it’s not real!” Sam yelled, standing almost protectively between Greyback and where Dean was still frantically trying to crawl away. “It’s not real!”

Castiel looked between everyone, turning to Greyback. “Fix it! Make it stop!”

Sirius, it would seem, wasn’t about to wait for Greyback to make the call. In one wildly misjudged movement, he pulled his arm back, extended it forward with all of the force he could seemingly muster, and punched Fenrir Greyback right in the face. 

**_Dean_ **

Dean couldn’t believe his eyes. That wasn’t an exaggeration, he actually  _ couldn’t  _ believe them. He’d heard Sam screaming at him that it wasn’t real, and Sam wouldn’t lie. Not about this. Not about the horribly grotesque, twisted things he was seeing. He wasn’t even sure if his heart was beating anymore, or if it had just given up and was sitting in stunned silence, just like half of the things --  _ no, those are people, those are people --  _ that surrounded him. 

He tried to crawl back to Cass. It was slow, and his limbs had turned to slugs. Trying to maneuver slugs was a lot harder than it looked, and it was taking him way longer than he’d planned to get back to him. He looked up, away from his slimy, gross appendages and searched for his angel. He blinked several times, because Castiel doesn’t have wings.  _ Does he have wings? Those sure look like wings. I should touch them to make sure.  _ Dean pushed himself to his feet, very proud of the slugs that had replaced his legs for being able to hold his weight like that. He took one wobbly, unsure step after another, and reached out to touch the massive black wings sprouting from behind Castiel. He hummed as he felt the soft feathers, but his expression quickly changed back to horror when he realized his slug-arm was leaving a trail of something utterly disgusting and gooey all over Castiel’s perfect wings.

He backed up a step, even as Castiel tried to grab him. “Can’t touch….” He whirled away and was faced with his brother now, but it wasn’t his brother at all. Out of the sides of Sam’s head were giant, oak-coloured antlers. “You’re not a moose, don’t be a moose, I don’t like it.” He was distracted momentarily by the feeling of his arms falling off. He looked down at himself, but the slugs that had just recently served as his arms were now slinking across the ground and crawling towards Sirius. Dean watched, slack-jawed as they climbed up Sirius’s legs. 

He screamed. He screamed and unlike Dark Arts, he knew sound was coming out this time. He knew he was making noise because he could feel the force of the sound cracking his ribs. He dropped to his knees, screaming louder. He tried to remind himself that this wasn’t real. He had arms, his brother wasn’t a moose, and Castiel didn’t actually have wings. He wasn’t cracking and breaking apart from the inside out from sound waves alone.  _ Sam, Sammy said this wasn’t real, Sammy wouldn’t lie. Sammy knows, he knows it’s not real, and so do you.  _ Once again, he heard his brother screaming to him. He fought to control the hallucinations, fought to make himself stand, fought to make himself say  _ something  _ to let the people around him know he was probably, mostly okay. He spoke, and as he spoke he knew the words were wrong. They weren’t even on topic, but once he started - he couldn’t pull the words back into his mouth. “He climbed down a long honey? Buzz! Buzzing noise the only reason forest, and that that does? One does? Once walking honey? Buzz! Buzzing noise middle oak-tree, and the got of his paws and lived a likes ‘under the name a between he on’, sang a being-noise.” 

_**Castiel** _

Castiel watched Dean, squinting at the words he was saying. He fell to the ground beside Dean and pulled him up so he was holding him, trying to keep him from flailing around and injuring himself. “It’s not real, Dean. None of it’s real. Snap out of it, come back to me.”

Dean reached out for something directly to Castiel’s right, and clutched at thin air. He buried his face in Castiel’s chest and stopped moving except for heaving, deep breaths. 

Castiel held him tight, continuing to whisper reassuring phrases, now rocking back and forth slightly. He looked to Professor Greyback, his eyes narrowed. “Fix him.  _ Now. _ ”

Greyback was rubbing his cheek, and Sirius was unconscious on the ground in front of him. “He’s nearly burned it all off, no point in wasting the antidote now.” He kicked Sirius hard and started walking back to the castle.

Castiel swallowed and reached for his wand, pointing it at Dean. “ _ Episkey. _ ” He set his wand down and looked at Sam. “Can you get everyone out of here? Please?”

Sam nodded, looking down at Cass with a curious expression. “Yeah, of course. I’m going to wake Sirius up and we’ll uhh… get everyone else back to the castle. You take him straight to the Hospital Wing, do you hear me? Straight there, and I’ll meet you there as soon as I can.” Sam turned, walking and kneeling next to Sirius. He pointed his wand at Sirius’ chest and said, “ _ Rennervate.”  _ Sirius came to with a gasp, wildly swinging his fist and nearly connecting with Sam. Sam pinned him to the ground for a moment. “Hey! Sirius, relax, it’s over. Professor Greyback is gone, we need to get the rest of the kids out of here.” 

Sirius cursed loudly and staggered to his feet, mumbling profanities about their so-called Professor. The two led the rest of the class away from the hut and the tracker-jacker tree, which was still making that ominous buzzing sound even though it appeared that the tracker-jackers had all receded.

Castiel was still holding Dean close and rocking back and forth slightly, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “You’re okay, Dean. I’ve got you.”

Dean groaned, his eyes fluttering open but closing quickly again, as if he still couldn’t quite trust what he was seeing. “Where’s Sammy?”

Castiel let out a breath of relief. “He’s okay, Dean. He took the other students inside. Are you? Are you okay?”

“Looks like a fuckin’ unicorn took a dump on the whole world. ‘M good, though. Just uhh… need a minute. Don’t wanna look at it.” 

“Look at what?”

“Too bright. colours are weird. Just… wanna stay.” He rubbed the side of his face against Castiel’s chest and grabbed a tight fistful of his robes, as if he was using them to quite literally tether himself to sanity.

Castiel nodded, holding Dean tight to him. “Then we can stay right here, Dean. I’m not going to leave you.”

“You are,” Dean was barely whispering, but the words were there. “After this year, you are.” 

Castiel’s heart sank, pressing his lips to Dean’s forehead again. “Not for a long time. We still have a year and even after I graduate, I- we’ll make it work. We have too.”

Dean nodded against his chest and slowly sat up, prying a single eye open as if he was still afraid of what he was going to see. He relaxed after a moment and opened both eyes. “I think the worst of it is over.” 

Castiel watched him, rubbing his back. “Good, I’m glad to hear that. I was terrified.”

Dean actually smiled. “You had wings.”

“Wings? Like…  _ wings _ , wings? Bird wings?”

Dean shook his head. “No, not a bird. More like your patronus; like an angel.” He grinned, adding “they were huge. And black. And soft…” 

“You touched them?” Castiel asked, tilting his head. “Interesting.”

“You honestly think I was gonna keep my hands off of them? Nah. I’m kinda bummed that was just part of the hallucination, though. You havin’ wings would be weirdly kinda hot.” He attempted a weak smirk, and didn’t let it fade.

Castiel laughed quietly and pulled Dean to him, kissing him. “I’m sorry to disappoint, then.”

Dean gasped quietly against his lips, then mumbled against them, “never disappoint.”

He grinned and pulled back, before he stood up, offering him his hand. “Come on, I have to take you to Madam Harvelle.”

Dean frowned and touched his own face after accepting Cass’s help and getting to his feet. “Ow. Yeah, alright. You’re the boss, lead the way.” 

Castiel smirked. “Damn right I am.” 

**_Dean_ **

Dean’s stomach did an involuntary flip at the thought of Cass bossing him around in  _ any  _ capacity. He decided he didn’t have it in him to figure out if it was a good flip or a bad flip or a  _ weird  _ flip, so he just followed Cass back up to the castle and to the Hospital Wing. He hadn’t even noticed that he’d been holding Cass’s hand until he rounded the corner to the Wing and was met by Sam, who’s eyes immediately dropped to where his fingers interlocked with Castiel’s. 

Dean pulled his hand back. “I was uhh… haven’ trouble walkin’ and he was just… helping.” He felt his face turn a kaleidoscope of colours, and he immediately felt bad. “No, no, that’s not -- I mean he  _ was _ , but that wasn’t -- was more --” Dean’s words died in his throat as he looked at Sam, so he did the only thing he could think of. He reached out and grabbed Cass’ hand again, taking a side step closer to him. 

Sam just raised an eyebrow. “Oh good, so you’re going to stop moping around now?” 

Dean’s eyes saw Sam’s mouth form the words, and his ears heard them. His brain, however, wasn’t quite as quick. “I’m not moping, and shut up and listen to me, I’m tryin’ to tell you somethin’ without actually saying it.” 

Sam looked like he was fighting a laugh. “Dean, I’m pretty sure you were the  _ last  _ person to figure out that you had the hots for Novak. I was just surprised he felt the same, that’s all. I’m happy for you guys.” 

Dean’s brain was working just fine for that one. He frowned indignantly. “What the hell is that supposed to mean, ‘surprised he felt the same’?” 

Castiel grinned, squeezing Dean’s hand. “Of course I feel the same. I have since the beginning of last year.”

Sam shook his head. “Which is nuts to me, because I watched my brother be a dick to you on more than one occasion. Guess it’s true what they say about people liking you if they pick on you, huh Dean?”

Dean glared at him. “I wasn’t pickin’ on him.”  _ Okay, yeah you were. Like a lot. Take it back.  _ “Much.”

Castiel narrowed his eyes at Dean. “Really?”

Dean put on his best adorable grin. “You liked it and you know it, Novak. I landed you  _ somehow _ , didn’t I?” 

Castiel’s face flushed as he bit his lip and looked to the ground, seeming as if he was fighting the smile that crept onto his face. “I suppose.”

Sam made a grossed out noise but recovered quickly, his face turning serious. “Dean, does Dad know?” Dean dropped his eyes and shook his head, and Sam continued. “You’re taking a pretty big risk, you know that? I’m a lot bigger than I used to be, but Dad’s still a bear. I don’t --” Sam cut off, looking at Cass.

Dean brought his eyes up, looking to Sam and following his gaze to Cass. “No, it’s cool. He knows. I uhh… I showed him. It was a real weird detention. But before you get any ideas, you’re not fighting my battles for me, baby bro. That’s my job to do for  _ you,  _ not the other damn way around. I’ll figure out what to do about dad. If I can keep it quiet till the end of next year, it won’t matter cuz I can just leave. It’s not like mom or dad will even notice if I don’t come back.” 

Castiel frowned and shifted on his feet, seemingly uncomfortable. “Dean if I- if this- if this is going to cause you pain then…” He swallowed hard and looked to the ground. “I don’t want him to hurt you any--”

Sam cut in, interrupting him. “Oh no. At this point, you don’t get to back out of this and you don’t get to let  _ him  _ back out of this. If my brother was brave enough to tell me he likes you, that means he  _ really  _ likes you. I have faith he’ll figure it out, and I’ll help however I can. Being over 6ft at 15 years old has its advantages, you know.” 

Castiel smiled a little and looked to Sam, before looking to Dean. “Good, because I really didn’t want to leave.”

Dean could feel the heat settling in his cheeks. “Alright, can we be done with the chick-flick moment? If I’m gonna have those, I’d prefer that my face didn’t look like a pincushion. It’s my best feature.” He looked around, finally dropping his hand from Cass’s. “Where’s Madam Harvelle at, anyway?” 


	13. Fly Away

_Castiel_

Castiel met Dean at the bottom of the Astronomy Tower, and together they climbed the long, spiral staircase to the very top. They kept bumping together as they walked, and eventually Dean nudged Cass with a grin. “Think you could get any closer, Novak? I’m walkin’, here.” 

Castiel shrugged, grinning. “I could get closer, if you’d like me too.”

Dean missed the next step and nearly tripped, but reached out and grabbed Castiel’s arm to steady himself. His ears turned red and he took the next couple of stairs two at a time. “You’d have to catch me, first.” 

“If you think I’m running these stairs you’re wrong, Winchester!” Castiel called.

Dean turned to climb backward, a wide smirk on his face. “What’s the matter, angel? Need better motivation?”

He felt a rush hit his core as he picked up the pace, taking the stairs two at a time now. “Perhaps.”

“Oh, then let me remind you what you’re runnin’ for.” He stopped, walking back down the couple of steps between them and pulled Cass into a kiss, both hands on his face. He pulled back, that smirk right back on his face, and turned to race up the stairs.

Castiel bit his lip when Dean ran up the stairs and after a moment chased after him, shaking his head with a grin when he made it to the top. “That… was… rude…” he huffed, leaning over to catch his breath.

Dean was breathing heavily and holding his side. “Yeah, yeah, you can kick my ass for it later. C’mon, we’re gonna be late.” He pushed open the door that led to the roof of the Astronomy Tower, where a vast majority of the class was already gathered around their telescopes and looking to Professor Cinna. 

Professor Cinna was soft spoken and unnaturally kind in comparison to the rest of their Professors, especially since Voldemort took over. As it turned out, most Death Eaters had no interest in the stars or the stories they told, and Professor Cinna was allowed to retain his post during the transition. Castiel nodded at him as he and Dean took their places next to their own telescopes and began pulling out their books.

Dean leaned in and whispered to Cass, “dude, I can’t get over how much this guy looks like Lenny freakin’ Kravitz.” 

Castiel squinted, looking to Dean briefly. “Who?”

Dean looked offended. “I thought you said your mom was a muggle? How the hell do you not know who Lenny Kravitz is?”

“She is a muggle but I guess she never introduced me to that kind of… uh…  _ genre _ ?”

Dean looked appropriately dumbfounded, but bit back his retort as Professor Cinna called attention to the class. “It would seem that some of you will be repeating this particular lesson, but it’s probably better that way. Having three years mixed into one lesson has it’s advantages and disadvantages, but we’re going to focus on the advantages. Does anyone have an objection to that? I know some of my fellow Professors seem to disagree with me, but I’m not them, and they don’t run my class.” 

The whole class shook their head as Castiel grinned. Professor Cinna had always been Castiel’s favourite for more reasons than his teaching ability. Castiel felt as if he could relate to Professor Cinna and felt comfortable in his class.

Dean whispered to him furiously, “You’ve  _ seriously  _ never heard the song American Woman? Fly Away? Are You Gonna Go My Way? The hell is wrong with you?!”

Castiel rolled his eyes and nudged him under the desk. “Shut up. You’ll just have to show me at some point.”

Dean wiggled his eyebrows. “At your own risk, angel. Kravitz is one helluva guy.” 

Professor Cinna’s eyes flicked in their direction, and Dean cleared his throat. It was time to start charting the stars, and so both Dean and Cass angled their telescopes to the sky and started working.

“So this is what, the third time you’ve done this now, Cass?” Dean asked, his voice quiet. 

Castiel grinned and nodded, looking up. “Yes, something like that. It’s a good thing I enjoy this class.”

Dean rolled his eyes but was smiling lightly. “You just enjoy it cuz you think Cinna’s hot.” 

He cleared his throat. “You said it, not me.”

Dean lifted his head from his telescope and furrowed his eyebrows at Cass. “Yeah, I said  _ you  _ think he’s hot.” 

“Who thinks I’m hot?” Professor Cinna came up between the two of them, his hands folded behind his back. 

“Uhh-- I didn’t --- that’s not what I --- he does!” Dean pointed at Cass, blushing furiously and immediately returning to his telescope, but the idiot wasn’t even pointing it at the sky.

Castiel didn’t move his telescope and just cleared his throat again, trying to hide the blush on his face as much as he could with the telescope.

Cinna chuckled, low and breathy. Dean side kicked Castiel, as if this was somehow his fault. “While I’m flattered, it would do you both more good to pay attention to the stars. You never know when they’ll come in handy.” 

“Yes, I agree.” Castiel nodded, grinning slightly. “Thank you.”

Cinna smiled. “You always were one of my brightest students, Castiel. I’m going to miss you next year.” He turned and walked away to the next group of students, and Castiel found Dean rolling his eyes into a glare. He said in a mocking voice nowhere near Cinna’s actual pitch or timbre, “I’m gonna miss you next year, Castiel.”

Castiel smirked, looking over at Dean. “What’s wrong, Dean? Are you jealous?”

“No more jealous than you were last year when Lisa was checking to see if my elbow was still twelve shades of cracked.” Dean looked smugly satisfied and returned to his telescope.

“That’s fair, I suppose.” He licked his lips quickly, looking back up at the stars. “He called me one of his brightest students.”

Dean shrugged. “That’s because you are. I’m sure there’s a joke in there regarding brightness and stars, but don’t expect me to give it to you.” 

Castiel frowned jokingly. “You always find the terrible joke, though.”

“Hey, I’m friggen hilarious. Not my fault you don’t understand half of ‘em.” Dean scribbled some things down on his parchment and glanced back to where Professor Cinna was. “In all honesty, I wish more of our Professors were like him. This is one of the few classes I don’t hate comin’ to. Can you believe there was once a time when that was a real thing? When there were no Death Eaters here and it was just a school for kids to learn how to do magic?”

Castiel shook his head, setting his telescope down. “I can’t, honestly. That whole concept seems so… foreign.”

There was something darkening behind Dean’s eyes as he spoke again. “Someday, somebody’s gonna do somethin’ about it. Somebody’s gonna overthrow that evil dick, and kids can just friggen be kids again. No more Games, no more Choosings. No more practicing curses on each other in class.” 

Castiel smiled at him a little bit. “I sure hope you’re right. Do you want kids one day? Would you let them come here?”

Dean frowned. “I guess I never really thought about it, y’know? I never really let myself think about life after school, cuz I didn’t -- and still don’t -- know if I’ll even be alive to see the end of it.” He shrugged. “I guess in a perfect world, sure. Who doesn’t want kids? I’d never want them to come here like  _ this,  _ but I’m talking about a perfect world here. So yeah, in that case… I’d want them to know what  _ real  _ magic was.” 

“Me too, I think.” Castiel picked up his quill and started filling out his chart like he had for the past few years in this class. “That sounds ideal.”

“Unfortunately, ‘ideal’ and ‘reality’ are rarely the same friggen thing. A guy can dream, though, right?” Dean chewed on his lip, looking up at the sky. “There’s so damn many of ‘em. You think they even know we’re down here?”

“What, the stars?”

“Yeah.” Dean seemed to realize what he was suggesting, and shrugged it off. “Just seems so much  _ bigger  _ than all of this, y’know?”

“It’s huge, Dean. The stars and the galaxy… space goes on forever. Eternity, even.”

“It’s almost comforting, isn’t it? To know that no matter what happens down here, those little balls of light are still gonna be up there.” Dean cleared his throat and stood up from where he was leaning against the desk. “Anyway, back to you and Professor Cinna. What kinda wedding are you two gonna have?”

Castiel set his quill down and went to say something, but cleared his throat instead. “Yeah, I don’t know.”

Dean snorted. “Don’t invite me, I’ll be objecting for both sides.” 

He grinned a little and kept his eyes down, trying to find his words. “I hope to… I hope to have a wedding that- that involves  _ you _ being the other groom.” His face immediately turned red.

Dean might have had a stroke, he was silent and staring at Cass for so long. Not moving, not blinking, just standing there, slack-jawed.

Castiel breathed out.  _ Yup, you ruined that one. Way to go. _ “I uh, I didn’t mean- I was just…” He paused for a moment. “So about these stars, huh?”

Dean seemed to at least regain control of his mouth. “Yeah, you’re Professor Cinna’s brightest, shining star. We get it, Novak.” He smiled, but it was the sort of smile you plaster on your face when you honestly don’t know what else to do with your muscles.

Castiel tensed at the awkwardness and nodded. “Right, okay.” He sat down and fell silent, continuing to chart the stars.

It was a while before either of them spoke again, and it was Dean that broke the silence. “Why don’t we just focus on makin’ it out of Hogwarts alive, and then we can figure out the rest of it? You just startled me, that’s all. Sorry I got all weird about it.”

Castiel closed his eyes and leaned forward, leaning his forehead on the desk, smiling. “So I didn’t ruin my chances of ending up with you?”

“Oh, buddy, you’re gonna have to try a  _ lot  _ harder than that to get rid of me.” 

Castiel smiled but didn’t lift his head. “I suppose it’s a good thing I don’t want to get rid of you, isn’t it.”

Dean smirked again, any trace of uneasiness gone. “Why would you? I think I’m adorable.”

\------------------------------

_** Dean ** _

Two days before the Choosing, Dean sat in silence in the Gryffindor Common Room. Some people had already gone to bed, but he was still awake in front of the fireplace. Sam, Sirius, James, Finnick, Lisa and Jo were all with him, lounging around on the couches, chairs, and even the floor. None of them had really spoken since dinner. Dean was fine with that, it was enough to know that they were all here, at least one more time. 

He watched the way the fire played tricks with the shadows on their faces, and his chest tightened at the thought that in just a couple of short days, one or more of them might be gone. He could count on one hand the amount of times he’d had true panic attacks in his life, but he was rapidly becoming aware that he was going to be adding to that number sooner rather than later. This was the first year he really had to worry about someone other than himself. Now Sam’s name was up for grabs, and he actually had friends that he knew he’d die for in a heartbeat. Not to mention Cass. His stomach rolled in that familiar flip just thinking about him, and how close they’d grown over the last year. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing any of them, of being Chosen himself or one of them being Chosen. He rarely wished ill on other people, and it was even rarer that he prayed. But as Dean Winchester sat there looking at the fire that night… he did both. He prayed to any god that would listen to spare him and the people he cared about. To make the Goblet of Fire pull someone else’s name, make someone  _ else  _ carry this burden. 

As soon as the thoughts entered his head, he regretted them. His dad might not have taught him many things about being decent, but from an early age he’d taught him how to shoulder burdens that weren’t his own. He used to think that was a cruel thing to instill in a child, but now that he was older, he understood why. 

Some people are just born lucky. Other people, well… if it wasn’t for bad luck, they wouldn’t have luck at all. It was those people that John Winchester taught him to look out for. The downtrodden. The underdogs. The victims. People that couldn’t, or wouldn’t, stand up for themselves. The innocent. The afraid. Looking around the common room, Dean knew that in that moment, his friends were every single one of those things, and more. And not just his friends; every single student at Hogwarts was equal in this way whether they cared to admit it or not. Even the ones that trained for the Games. Hoped to be Chosen. It was just a product of their upbringing in most cases, and wasn’t their fault anymore than it was Dean’s fault that he instinctively reached for his wand anytime he was in the presence of a magical creature. It’s just who he was. He’d learned and grown enough since beginning his journey at Hogwarts that he no longer pulled his wand  _ out  _ every time he came across one, but he didn’t believe he’d ever stop reaching for it. Just in case. Just in the off chance he’d come across the type of creatures his dad had been training him to hunt. The ones that refused to assimilate, refused to stop hunting humans. It still awed him that his dad was powerful enough as a muggle human to turn the predator into the prey. Dean supposed he could understand his father on that level… understand why he was as brutal and ruthless as he was. His dad knew the sorts of things that lurked in the shadows. He had to be tough as nails to fight back against the darkness, so was it really such a stretch for him to want to give Dean the same advantage? 

It was with that realization that Dean felt something loosen inside of his chest. Something wound up tight that had been there for years, setting his temper on edge and his mind permanently in survival mode. He wouldn’t necessarily say he forgave his dad, but he thought he was finally old enough to  _ understand  _ him, and that was far more than Dean thought he’d ever do. 

Sam spoke from the chair next to him. “Should we… I don’t really know how this works, are we supposed to say goodbye? Just in case?” 

Dean shook his head. “None of us are goin’ anywhere, okay, Sammy? We’re gonna be fine, just like we all were last year and Finn was the year before that. There’s no need to say goodbye, cuz nobody’s leavin’.” 

Sam nodded but didn’t look convinced. “Okay, Dean. Nobody’s leaving.” 

Lisa leaned forward on the couch with her elbows on her knees. “I think Sam’s right, Dean. We’ve got a bigger group this year, the chances of at least one of us being called is higher than it was last year.”

Dean didn’t want to think of it like that, so he went on the defensive. “Well, why don’t you just See what’s going to happen, like you did last year?”

She scowled and leaned back again. “It doesn’t work like that and you know it. I can’t control what comes to me and what doesn’t, it just… happens.” 

Finnick spoke up from the floor. “Can we not argue? Either way you slice it, the Choosing is in two days and we’re losing three Gryffindors. I actually hope one of them is me, I don’t think I can stomach the survivor’s guilt one more year.” 

Dean blinked at him. “C’mon, Finn. It’s not like it’ll be your fault if you don’t get Chosen. You have as much right to be free as anyone else does.” 

Sirius nodded. “Winchester’s right. There’s no point in blaming ourselves for getting picked or not getting picked. No one volunteers for this shit.” 

Finnick just shrugged. “That being true doesn’t make it any easier to leave the Great Hall after the Choosing and know that you’re going to live when someone else isn’t.” 

Dean understood how Finnick felt completely. To a T, right down to his bones. He’d felt the very same things last year after his first experience with the Choosing, when Neville Longbottom was Chosen in Dean’s place. Neville Longbottom who was now very, irreversibly dead. “I get it, man, honestly. But beating ourselves up over it isn’t going to change a damn thing.” 

“Not all of us are as brave as our House might suggest, Dean.” It was Jo this time, and James quickly agreed with her. “This wouldn’t be bravery anyway, it’s stupidity. There’s nothing brave about the Mudblood Games.” 

Dean sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to get anywhere with any of them. He resigned himself back to his silent memorization of their faces, hoping with everything in him that they’d all still be here the following week.  _ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.  _

**_Castiel_ **

The morning of the Choosing was usually when Castiel was the most nervous. He’s been through this twice at this point, why was this year different?

Why did Castiel find himself unable to relax two days before the Choosing this year? He sat in the corner chair in the Hufflepuff common room and bit his nails as he thought. 

__ _ Perhaps it’s because this is your last year and you’ve made it through two other Choosings without being chosen. It’s your last year and you aren’t guaranteed safety yet. _

He let out a shaky breath and ran one hand through his hair. He realized he was more jumpy, too. Anyone who crawled through the barrel scared him, any noises he didn’t recognize were terrifying.  _ Perhaps it’s because you have more to lose this year. You’re not only leaving Rue behind, but Dean too. He came out to his brother, to everyone on the train for you and if you get Chosen it will all be for nothing.  _

He tensed and stood up as he began to pace, his arms crossed in front of his chest. His mind was flooded with images of the last choosing; Romilda Vane dangling from her ankles as they forced her on stage, Garth Fitzgerald and how scared he was and all Castiel could say to him was ‘good luck’, and Neville Longbottom who was literally frozen with fear.

Honestly, Castiel didn’t even understand why the Choosing had to take place. Why every single year twelve young kids were sent to their deaths with no hope of making it out alive. 

Sure, one person ‘won’ each year, but if you survived you were deemed fit to be part of You-Know--  _ you know what? Fuck it. Voldemort. If you survive you’re deemed fit to be a part of Voldemort’s army.  _ Castiel scoffed as he continued to pace.  _ I’d rather die. _

At the thought of dying, Castiel’s breath hitched in his throat. He stopped pacing as his eyes widened.  _ Dean. Not only is it possible for me to be Chosen, but Dean could be Chosen too.  _

His heart began to race as he held onto the back of the chair to steady himself. He then quickly moved to the barrel to go and find Dean, but was stopped abruptly.

“Castiel? Where’s the fire?” Charlie Bradbury asked, crawling out of the barrel.

“Fire? There’s no fire. Why would there be a fire?” Castiel asked, biting his lip as he shifted on his feet. 

“Then why do you look like you want to run away from here?” Rue Marsh asked, appearing behind Charlie.

“What? Oh, uh, no reason. I’ve got nowhere to run to.” Castiel shook his head, crossing his arms again. “Everything’s fine.”

“Right…” Charlie nodded. “Alright, then, I’ve gotta go finish up some Charms homework. I’ll see you guys later.”

She disappeared through the barrel again as Rue turned to Castiel. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, Rue. I promise.” Castiel sighed, sitting down again. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

“I’m fine as well.” She looked to the ground. “I’m just a little bit nervous for the Choosing this year. I  _ actually  _ have the chance to be Chosen this year, now that I’m in fifth year.”

_ Rue. Rue could be chosen this year too. It’s not just you, it’s Dean and Rue as well.  _ “You’re not going to get Chosen, Rue. It’s only your first year and there’s so many fifth years this year as well.”

“I might. You can’t tell the future,” She whispered. 

“If you get called, I’ll volunteer for you, Rue. I’ll go in your place, alright? I’ll volunteer for you.”

“I can’t ask you to do that, Castiel.” She shook her head and sat down beside him.

“You’re not asking me to do anything, Rue. I want to do this and there’s really nothing you can say or do to stop me, alright?” Castiel looked over at her. 

She nodded a little bit. “Okay, Castiel. I understand.”

Castiel reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently. “We’re going to be fine, Rue. I promise, okay?”

“Okay, Castiel. If you say so.”

_ I do say so, Rue. I’m going to volunteer if Charlie gets called too. There’s barely any sixth year Hufflepuffs, Charlie’s chances of getting called skyrocketed since last year. I’ll volunteer for Charlie or Rue. Sorry, Hael. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the deep breath before the plunge.


	14. What Is and What Should Never Be

_**Dean** _

Dean wasn’t sure how he ended up in the Great Hall when it was time for the Choosing. He couldn’t remember anything past when sleep finally pulled him into oblivion the night before. But here he was, seated at the Gryffindor table, flanked by his best friends and his brother. Caesar Flickerman was already giving the opening statements to the Choosing, but the words sounded slurred in Dean’s ears. He glanced up, and found Castiel staring back at him. He focused on those bright blue eyes, the eyes he’d stared into a hundred times. More than that, if he was being honest. He held Cass’s gaze as long as he dared, desperately trying to commit the colour to memory. This might very well be the last time he ever saw them. 

He inched closer to Sam on the bench. Flickerman had just finished telling what was decidedly a very  _ un _ funny joke, and now had his eyes on the Goblet of Fire. Terror unlike anything he’s ever known gripped him. Sammy was a fifth year and Cass and Finnick were both seventh years, which meant that either order they decided to go with this, one of the people he cared most about was in danger. 

Dean clenched his jaw as the flames turned red. Flickerman snatched the burnt piece of parchment from the air, and read out, “Beetee Latier!” He continued with a list of Beetee’s supposed shortcomings, but Dean couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t listen. Seventh years were first, and Beetee was Ravenclaw’s, judging by the blue and black robes as the boy stood. Seventh years. Cass.  _ Please, anyone but Cass. Anyone but --  _ The flames turned red again. Dean squeezed his eyes closed, bracing himself for what he’d come to terms with was inevitable. He wasn’t allowed to be happy, and he’s already had too much of that. Of  _ course  _ Castiel Novak was going to be Chosen, taken away from him. Of  _ course  _ it was going to be him, there was never any other --

“Newt Scamander! Hufflepuff seventh year, and a pureblood, to boot. Wonder what he did to  _ piss someone off?”  _ Dean barely heard Flickerman’s words. If he had, he might have noticed that there was something wrong in his tone. Something that would have set Dean’s teeth on edge, if he’d been paying attention to anything other than the fact that Castiel was safe. This was his final Choosing, and he’d been passed over. He was keenly aware that it was one of Cass’ friends, one of  _ his  _ friends that was Chosen, but he was already prepared for the grief that would find him afterward. For now, he settled for the fact that his angel wasn’t going anywhere. It wasn’t an ideal start, by all accounts it was a really shitty start, but it could have been worse. 

Something in Dean’s chest squeezed as Flickerman plucked the next name from the air. Dean was biting his lip so hard he could taste rust in his mouth. This was far from over, and he knew it. Flickerman cleared his throat. “Oh, what luck! It seems we’re continuing our little trend of troublemakers. Our seventh year Gryffindor tribute, half-blood and half-wit, if you ask me… is Finnick Odair!” 

From somewhere behind Dean, he heard Finnick snarl. It was a sound so low and so vicious that Dean temporarily wondered if it came from a human at all. Dean was on his feet before he knew what he was doing. Several of the Death Eaters that had been standing quietly in the corner were now making their way towards them, and Finnick was sprinting towards the doors. Dean barely made it four steps in his direction before his feet were swept out from under him. He landed, his knees smacking painfully off the ground. He glanced up quickly, but Sam and Sirius were on the ground next to him and attempting to haul him back to his feet. He couldn’t do anything but watch and scream a warning to Finnick as one of the Death Eaters shot a stunning spell at him, and it was followed by an incantation Dean didn’t recognize. Finnick crumpled, lifeless on the floor not 5 feet from the doors. 

Sam was whispering frantically to him as he was pushed back into his seat. “He’s fine, Dean, he’s not dead, he’s just knocked out… sit the hell down before they do the same to you!” 

Dean was certain this was the worst day of his life. Three names in, and two of his friends had already been taken. Two of Cass’s friends, of Sammy’s friends. He turned to level a glare at Caesar Flickerman, but his glare receded to a look of terror when he saw the guttural sneer being directed at him.  _ This was fun to him, this was a fucking game. He’s -- no, he can’t be.  _

He was peripherally aware that Sirius and Sam were each pinning one of his arms to the table. In his mind, he knew he didn’t give a shit about any of the Slytherins, so when Cato Chester and Jack Morningstar were chosen to represent the seventh and sixth year Slytherins, Dean shouldn’t have cared. It shouldn’t have made a difference to him. But it did, because they were someone’s friend, too. Someone’s kid. Hell, maybe even someone’s boyfriend. And they were being taken for no reason. 

He was shaking by the time the flames turned red once more. Flickerman laughed when he read the name to himself, his eyes dancing in horrible menace as he looked around the room. “This just might be the most fun I’ve ever had at a Choosing. Would anyone care to guess who the Gryffindor sixth year is going to be?” Flickerman’s eyes met Dean’s, and Dean’s stomach dropped. He nearly lost what little breakfast he ate this morning.  _ It’s me, it’s fucking me. Don’t lose your shit, don’t go out like Finn did. Stand up. Stand the fuck up, Dean. Just go.  _ Dean slowly got to his feet, which only made Flickerman’s laugh grow. “Now, now, Mr. Winchester. Your enthusiasm is a welcome change, but no. I was actually looking just past you, to the blood traitor. Sirius Black, please come up here and join your classmates. This is shaping up to be one hell of a team! It’s almost a shame we can’t take  _ more of you.”  _

Dean’s mind was blank. He barely had time to register the fact that Flickerman’s words were indeed directed at him, and his thoughts felt like glue in his mind. Two. Both of his best friends were Chosen. He reached out and squeezed Sirius’ arm, the absolute only comfort he could muster up to give his best friend of over 5 years. Sirius, to his credit, didn’t react the way that Finnick had. He simply stood, ignoring James screaming wildly from his other side. James’ protests were abruptly cut off with another flick of a Death Eater’s wand as Sirius took his place beside Finnick’s still slumped-over body.

Dean’s eyes sought out Castiel on their own, desperate for some reminder that he would have something left when this was over. What he saw looking back at him was a terror and sadness that equaled his own, but he watched as Castiel took one long, shuddering breath, and let it out. Dean mirrored it on instinct. Over and over again, Dean copied Cass’s breathing until his was about as steady as it was going to get. Flickerman had gone off on another tangent but his words were like hammers against Dean’s eardrums and he refused to listen. He refused to do anything but stare into Cass’s ocean blue eyes, and imagine he was literally anywhere else. 

“Charlie Bradbury! Hufflepuff sixth year, mudblood… yes, I don’t think anything else needs to be said about that.” Dean might not have been listening prior to that, but the news that yet another one of their friends was being taken pulled him back into reality.  _ He is, that fucking bastard is taking us on purpose!  _ He watched the horror on Castiel’s face as he looked to Charlie, who had immediately started crying. Dean couldn’t take his eyes off of Cass, off the pain and sadness there, so he didn’t miss when that expression of loss turned to one of resolve. 

“I volunteer!” Castiel’s voice was loud and steady as he stood and said the words that cracked Dean in half. “I volunteer as tribute!” Cass was scrambling out of his seat, and once again, so was Dean. 

Dean didn’t make it very far. With a spell that was lost to his ears, Dean was glued to his seat, his hands similarly stuck to the table in front of him, palms flat. He was shaking and he knew what he must look like; sat ramrod straight in his seat like a student eager to learn the days’ lesson, if that lesson was that life was the cruelest thing that would ever happen to any of them. 

Sam was on his feet on Dean’s behalf. “No, Cass, don’t! You don’t have to do this!” 

If Castiel heard Sam, he sure didn’t act like it. Dean’s eyes followed Cass’s path to the front of the room, and Dean had to blink furiously to dispel the tears enough to get a clear view.  _ Newt. Finnick. Sirius. Cass. Newt. Finnick. Sirius. Cass. Newt. Finnick. Sirius.  _ **_Cass._ ** The names beat through Dean’s head like a war drum. Over and over again, they repeated in his mind, and endless rhythm of pain and loss and love.  _ Newt. Finnick. Sirius. Cass. Newt. Finnick. Sirius. Cass.  _

His heart was beating too loudly to hear the next two names that were called, but he recognized Ash Harvelle as the second. He barely spared a glance for the little brother of his friend Jo, because he couldn’t bear the thought of looking away from his friends for even a second. He wouldn’t. He  _ couldn’t.  _ He owed them at least that much - to not look away in the final minutes. He’d panicked and screamed and cried already, and now it was time to be strong. He had to, he owed it to them, owed it to them and so much --  _ more. I can do more. There’s still one Gryffindor spot left, I can volunteer, I can go with them. They don’t have to be -- Sammy... _

Dean’s eyes finally left his friends to look at his little brother. Everything he’d done in his life up to this point had been to protect and shield his little brother. The beatings he’d taken from their dad, when Sam had been the object of their dad’s anger. The parties and dates he’d skipped out on so Sam wasn’t left alone when their dad was on a hunt and their mom was working late shifts trying to make enough money to pay for rent and food. The toys and gadgets he’d denied asking his parents for, because if either of them were going to get something cool - it was going to be Sammy. He couldn’t leave Sam now, couldn’t join his friends and keep  _ them  _ safe because he had to keep  _ Sam  _ safe. That was easier said than done, because at least here, Sam wouldn’t be fighting for his life every single day. Sam’s body wouldn’t be turning up one day in some random, dingy spot for Death Eaters to poke and prod at if someone wasn’t there to protect him. 

Dean knew, at the end of the day, that there was nothing he could do for his friends now. Even if he went, only one of them would survive. He’d only be killing himself too if he volunteered, because he knew he’d never allow himself to be the one that got out. Not with so many other innocent kids in there, and only one shot at freedom. Their names continued repeating in his mind like a steady, pounding heartbeat.  _ Newt. Finnick. Sirius. Cass.  _

_ Cass. _

** _Castiel_ **

Castiel wondered if how much he was shaking was obvious. He wondered if people in the crowd could see the tears streaming down his face.  _ What the actual fuck just happened? _ He didn’t regret volunteering for Charlie, he promised himself he would. Now, standing up here, he was terrified. He shifted his eyes out to the Gryffindor table and found Dean, locking eyes with him.

The look he tried to offer Dean was somewhat apologetic, somewhat sad and a whole lot terrified. He tried to focus on anything but the names being called, but watched as Ash Harvelle from Ravenclaw made his way to the other students.

Ash Harvelle, Madam Harvelle’s son. Castiel swallowed hard when he realized Madam Harvelle had just had her son taken from her and she was here somewhere to witness it. He quickly tried to find her out in the crowd. When he couldn’t find her, he looked to Flickerman, his eyes darting back and forth between his.

“Our fifth year Hufflepuff entering this year's Games is…” Flickerman reached towards the Goblet, pulling back a piece of parchment. He paused for dramatic effect and then read the name. “Rue Marsh!”

Castiel’s breath hitched as he looked out into the audience, his worst nightmare coming true. “No!” he cried out, moving towards Flickerman. “No, you have to pick again! Someone else, you have to pick someone else!”

“Castiel!” He felt himself being pulled back, turning to meet Newt’s eyes. “Stop! You have to stop!”

Castiel felt like he couldn’t breathe, glaring at Flickerman. He shook himself free from Newt’s grasp and turned out to the audience to watch Rue. 

She stood slowly, already sobbing. Castiel watched her and moved to meet her at the staircase that led up to the stage. Castiel wrapped her in a hug as he whispered “I’m so sorry, Rue. I’m so sorry.”

He composed himself as best he could and took her hand, leading her to stand between himself and Newt. Castiel looked out into the crowd again, desperate to find Dean. When he found Dean’s emerald green eyes, he shook his head a little bit.

“We have quite the dramatic responses this year, wouldn’t you say?” Caesar Flickerman snickered, looking toward the Goblet again. 

“Now, shall we move onto our fifth year Gryffindor?” He paused and looked out at the crowd, straight at the Gryffindor table. A sinister smile appeared on his face. “I think we should.”

He grabbed the piece of parchment and seemingly read the name to himself as he spoke, “oh, how tragic this is going to be. Our fifth year Gryffindor is none other than Sam Winchester.”

Castiel gasped, looking to the Gryffindor table.  _ Don’t do it, Dean. Please don’t do it. _

Dean struggled to stand, but appeared to be magically rooted to his spot. “I’ll do it! I’ll go, I’ll --” He struggled harder, but Sam was already on his feet. “I FUCKING VOLUNTEER! I volunteer, damnit, don’t take him - I’ll do it---” Dean nearly fell right out of his seat as the spell on him was lifted. 

Castiel’s heart was racing, watching Dean. He felt his knees shaking and he was certain he was going to fall to the ground. He didn’t know what to do or even what to think, all he could hear was Flickerman’s obnoxious, stupid laugh. 

Dean stumbled the first couple of steps he took, but then his back straightened out and his jaw was set as he made his way up to join the others. Dean stopped first at Finnick, checking his pulse, and Castiel inched closer to him. 

Nothing made sense. Just a few days ago they were all in Hogsmeade, drinking butterbeer and laughing at Sirius and James’ jokes. It struck Castiel suddenly that Newt likely wouldn’t be allowed to bring his bowtruckle with him, and oddly enough, it was that simple realization that finally caused Castiel’s knees to buckle. 

Dean was next to him in a second. “Get up, don’t let them see. Don’t give ‘em the fucking satisfaction.” Dean’s arm looped under Castiel’s own, and helped him back to his feet as the Slytherin fifth year, Alecto Carrow, was the last to be Chosen. 

As Caesar Flickerman gave his closing remarks, Castiel came to the conclusion that he’d gone mad. Nearly everyone that mattered to him, himself included, had just been marked for death, and yet he couldn’t stop the most basic, asinine thought that  _ at least I’ll never have to sit through one of these again.  _

“How wonderful!” Caesar’s voice cut through Castiel’s insane musing. “How absolutely wonderful that the rest of you poor students left behind might actually be able to learn something -  _ make something  _ of yourselves, even - now that those students that were trying to set you back have been Chosen.” 

“ _ He did it on fucking purpose!”  _ Dean hissed next to him, gripping his arm so tightly it almost hurt.

Castiel considered this for a moment, and all at once realized the truth of Dean’s accusation. What were the odds that  _ all  _ of them would be either Chosen or volunteered? It was almost as if this entire Choosing had been rigged just to take them all out.  _ They couldn’t take us all, there’s too many of us.  _ Sure enough, when Castiel looked around the Great Hall, he was met by the determined, defiant faces of those they were leaving behind. Hael Vetter, Sam Winchester, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and even quiet, mousey Peter Pettigrew. Charlie Bradbury, Jo Harvelle, Lisa Braeden and Alyssa Blake -- they were, each and every one of them, looking back at Castiel with fire in their eyes. He didn’t know how he knew it, but he did. The Choosing might be over… but the war was just beginning.


	15. No Time

**_Dean_ **

Dean’s eyes were boring holes into Sam, trying to convey a lifetime’s worth of messages in a single glance.  _ Fight this. Fight them. Don’t give up. I’m gonna find my way back to you, I don’t care what it takes. Always keep fighting.  _

Dean was mostly prepared for what happened next, after seeing it last year. One by one, his fellow tributes were stolen by Death Eaters and vanished into thin air. He gripped Cass’s arm in one hand and Sirius’ shoulder in the other, desperate to hold on as long as he could. But disapparating, it would seem, didn’t appreciate passengers. He was ripped from his friends, and then pulled through what felt like space and time itself until his lungs were begging for air. 

He landed with a thud and immediately forced himself to his feet. “Cass? Finn-” He turned, his eyes landing on the other tributes as they started popping up. He reached Cass first and pulled him into a hug, ignoring every single Death Eater in the room. “Cass, you dumb son of a bitch, why’d you do it?” 

Cass grasped onto Dean, burying his face in Dean’s neck and fisting his hands into the back of Dean’s robes. He tried to speak but it seemed that he couldn’t find his words. The only thing he managed to get out in a whisper was, “I’m sorry.”

Dean just held him tighter, afraid to let go. Now that his moment of bravado was over and he was actually here, the adrenaline was wearing off. He opened his eyes, scanning the room over Castiel’s shoulder. He spoke quietly. “It’s alright, angel. We’re here, we’re still together, and we’ve got Sirius and Finn and Newt and Rue. We’re gonna be okay, I promise.”

Castiel’s voice cracked. “For how long, Dean?”

Dean pulled back enough to look Castiel in the face. He was relieved to hear his voice coming out with more conviction than he actually felt, and he tried to double-down on it. “Listen to me. I’m not gonna let you die. I’m not gonna let any of you die. They can’t  _ make  _ us kill each other, angel. Their power over us stops  _ now,  _ you hear me?”

Castiel flicked his eyes between Dean’s and nodded the most uncertain nod Dean had ever seen. “Okay, Dean. I hear you.”

Dean let out a breath and turned, keeping one hand on Cass’s arm. He took stock of the room. It wasn’t much, just a dimly lit living room of sorts. There were a few chairs, a long table, and a single couch where Caesar Flickerman was currently lounging, sneering like a lion that had just cornered its evening meal. 

“And now the Games begin.” Flickerman eyed them each in turn, and Dean took a step back, pulling Castiel with him. “I imagine you - well, surely  _ one  _ of you has figured out there was a particular point to this year's Choosing?” 

Castiel pulled his arm free from Dean’s hold and stepped forward. “You rigged it. This entire thing was a set-up and we had no choice but to play along.”

Dean’s temper flared. He’d been thinking the same thing but had thought he was overreacting. “You son of a bitch! Why? Why us, huh? Was it cuz we were the only ones that were brave enough to stand up to any of you!?”

Flickerman just nodded. “Yes, actually. I suppose it wasn’t hard to figure out after all. Yes, your little band of misfits has caused enough trouble… undermining professors, throwing tantrums in the Choosings. Something needed to be done about it, and we had the perfect solution sitting right in front of us.”

Finnick must have woken up at some point, because it was his voice that Dean heard to his left. “You know we’re not going to stop, right? We’re not going to kill each other, we’re  _ friends.”  _

“Now, now, Finnick, let’s not get  _ too  _ dramatic. I don’t expect you to kill each other, but the beauty of it is…” He leaned forward, his eyes dancing. “You don’t have to. Only one of you can make it out of Purgatory, regardless of if the rest of you survive or not. You either die, or are trapped forever, and well…” He leaned back once more, bringing one leg up to cross over the other. “There’s more than one way to skin a fish.” 

Dean was fairly certain that if it was possible to physically explode with anger, he’d be doing it. He was shaking again but the cause was much different now. He became aware that he’d lost his grip on Cass, but made no move to reclaim it. 

Castiel just narrowed his eyes at Flickerman and shook his head, turning back to face Dean. He took both his hands and laced their fingers, pressing his lips to Dean’s for a brief moment before pulling back and letting go of one of Dean’s hands. “It’s okay. We’re going to be fine.”

Sirius gave him a “what the hell just happened” look, but Dean refused to look at him. Of all the things they had to worry about now, the fact that a dude just kissed his best friend should be the last thing on Sirius’ mind. “I know we are, Cass. I already told you that.” 

Flickerman directed them all to sit down, and for the most part, they listened. Finnick, and to Dean’s surprise, Newt, stayed standing towards the back of the room. “Now, I know you all haven’t had the pleasure of getting the full rundown of the Games, but now that you have been Chosen, you need to know what’s in store for you.” Flickerman stood up from the couch and walked around to the other side of the long table. “Each tribute will have a chance to earn sponsors before they’re officially placed in the Arena -- which, as I’m sure you  _ do  _ know, is Purgatory. You will be expected to show your fighting and survival skills to several pureblood patriarchs, and if you’re lucky enough, one of them will choose you. If you’re sponsored by a pureblood family, you will enter the Arena with every single advantage available to you. Last year, the Malfoy family sent Marvel Henderson into Purgatory with enough food and water to last him a year, not to mention the muggle weapons of his liking and several other odds and ends like clothing and medicine. He had everything he needed right from the jump, thanks to the generosity of the Malfoys.” Flickerman paused long enough to make a face somewhere between embarrassment and humor. “Of course, not even the proper supplies will get you very far in the Arena if you don’t know how to use them. Your professors at Hogwarts are allowed to gift one thing each, but I can’t imagine very many of you made good impressions on any of  _ them,  _ so it’s best not to count on that.” He paced behind the table now, and Dean’s anger was only mounting. “Oh! Dear me, I almost forgot.  _ If _ you are lucky and skilled enough to be sponsored by a pureblood family, and also happen to be the one that makes it out alive - you become the property of that family. They are, essentially, assuming full responsibility for you and your futures when they place their symbol of sponsorship on you.” 

“You fuckin’ kiddin’ me? We’re not  _ property,  _ we’re people! People just like you, only bett--” 

“ _ Silencio.”  _ Dean’s words were cut off with the silencing charm, and Flickerman looked to the others. “Do I need to do the same to the rest of you, or can we move along now?” Only quiet, angry glares answered him, so he continued. “You will have one week. One week to impress the families and write whatever goodbye letters you need to. No, no, little Rue, you won’t have a chance to see them in person. The second you became Chosen, you belonged to Voldemort.” 

Dean’s mouth was moving but no sound was coming out.  _ Bastard, you’re a real fucking bastard, let the poor kid say goodbye to her aunt and uncle for fuck’s sake! It’s not gonna hurt anything!  _

Caesar Flickerman clapped his hands together and stood. “There will be Dementors posted at every exit, and Death Eaters will be monitoring closely. Don’t try to escape. Some form of dinner will be waiting for you in this room in exactly two hours. It will remain for only ten minutes, so if you miss it, you starve. Other than that, you are free to roam about this house. Tomorrow morning you will be transported by PortKey to an undisclosed location to begin showing off your skills. I’m sure you all have a lot of questions, but I’m a very busy man and must be going.” Without another word or even a glance in their direction, he disappeared with the other Death Eaters, taking the silencing charm with him. 

Dean turned to face the others once they were alone. “Rule number one. Stay put until we figure out a plan. Step two - no, scratch that, this is actually more important than the other thing - nobody hurts  _ anybody.  _ Everyone got that? We’re not dyin’.”

Castiel moved to Rue and stood behind her. “I agree with Dean. Everyone keeps their hands to themselves. We have to work  _ with _ each other, not  _ against  _ each other.”

The Slytherins rolled their eyes in unison, which Dean wasn’t surprised at all about. “If you three wanna kill each other, be my guest. As for the rest of us, we’re goin’ into this with our eyes open and wands raised. I’ll say it again, we’re  _ not… dying.”  _ Sirius and Finnick both walked to Dean, flanking him. He looked over at Rue and Cass and nodded to both of them. “For now, spread out. Get a good look at this house, find any weak spots. Windows, back doors, shit like that. Do any of you know how to produce a Patronus?” 

Castiel cleared his throat and looked to Dean. “I assume you mean  _ besides _ me?”

Despite the fear inside of him, despite the impossible circumstances, despite it  _ all…  _ Dean smirked. “Yeah,  _ angel,  _ besides you.” He turned to Finn, who nodded once. He looked to Sirius then, and was met with a half-hearted shrug. “Yeah, don’t worry… I couldn’t either at first.” A couple of the others spoke up and said they could, and Ash Harvelle took it a step further. He pulled out his wand and started to say the incantation. Dean threw out a hand. “Whoa, easy buddy, let’s make sure we’re actually alone first. Spread out, but stick in teams of three, okay? Meet back here in ten minutes, and  _ then  _ you can show us your Patronus, Ash.” 

There were a couple of grumbles, but Dean was pleased that no one was outright fighting him on this. It was what he was good at, and he could at least use the skills he’d learned as a hunter-kid-in-training to help them survive this. Dean split off with Cass and Rue, and the three of them searched the house. 

**_Castiel_ **

“Jeeze, you think this place has enough bedrooms?” Dean had just opened the door to the fourth one they’d seen. 

Castiel shrugged slightly. “I’m not complaining, they’re probably more comfortable than the ones at Hogwarts.”

Rue giggled from Cass’s other side. “I’m sure they’ll be a  _ lot  _ more comfy, Castiel.”

Cass smiled and kept walking, opening a random door. “Ah, good to know there’s plenty of storage for all the stuff we  _ don’t _ have.”

Dean snorted. “Did you actually just make a joke?”

“Depends on if it was decent enough to be considered as one.” Castiel licked his lips quickly, turning to him.

Dean smirked. “And if I say it wasn’t?”

Castiel shrugged, watching Dean. “Then I suppose it wasn’t a joke, was it?”

“A+ for effort anyway, angel. It was a solid attempt.” Dean kept opening doors, and not finding a single thing worth reporting.

Castiel rolled his eyes but a small smile crept onto his face. He actually felt… he felt  _ better.  _ Dean had reassured them that if they didn’t kill each other, they’d have a better chance of figuring out what to do before someone found the portal. That being said, he by no means was thrilled to be here. He was much less than thrilled, honestly. He frowned all of a sudden and stopped walking. “Quidditch.”

“Aww, damnit, Cass! As if this shit wasn’t horrible enough, now you gotta remind me I’ll never be on a broom again?” Dean’s shoulders slumped. 

Rue reached around and punched Dean playfully. “Hey, maybe they’ll have brooms in the arena. Or, or maybe someone will sponsor you and you can get your…” she paused and tilted her head. “What was your broom called? The chimney sweep?”

Dean narrowed his eyes at her. “It was a Cleansweep, but if I’m takin’ a damn broom into Purgatory, you can bet your ass it won’t be one of those. They better upgrade me to a Firebolt for this.” 

She giggled and opened a door to reveal a bathroom as they reached the end of the hall. “Well now what?”

Castiel looked to Dean. “I guess we meet back up with the others?”

Dean nodded, chewing on his lip. “Yeah, seems like just a normal house to me. Haven’t seen anyone else so far, so that’s good. Let’s double back to that meeting room thing and see if the others found anything worth anything.”

Rue grinned and ran ahead, opening a door that they had already checked. “I call this room!”

Dean chuckled, looking to Cass. “By my count, some people are gonna have to double up rooms….”

Castiel raised his eyebrows as he stopped walking, smirking slightly. “What are you suggesting, Winchester? You want to hear me snore again?”

He shrugged, continuing to walk ahead. He looked over his shoulder and said, “I can think of worse ways to spend a night in a creepy old house.” 

Castiel felt his stomach twist as the familiar butterflies filled it. He speed-walked to catch up to Dean. “Then yes, I’d be honoured to share a bed with you.” Castiel smiled because he might be able to sleep for more than two hours at a time for once.

“This might be the most horrible thing that’s ever happened to any of us, but at least I’m finally gonna get you alone somewhere we’re not surrounded by  _ books.”  _ Dean grinned and ducked back into the room they first arrived in. 

Castiel bit his lip but followed Dean, looking around to see that Finnick, Sirius and Newt were also back. “Did you guys find anything exciting?”

Finnick smiled. “We’ve got a pool. Maybe we just find a way to drown all the Death Eaters?”

“And live here forever?” Rue asked, grinning. “I like it.”

Sirius bent over slightly to look Rue in the eyes, and nodded meaningfully. “You’re absolutely right. We’re gonna live here forever.” He rubbed his hand on her head, messing her hair up with a grin. 

She huffed with a small smile and fixed her hair, moving to sit down on the couch. “There’s a television!”

The three Ravenclaw tributes came in next, reporting that there is a fully stocked kitchen, but every time they try to touch the food, it disappears. 

“Oh, you gotta be friggen kiddin’ me! What kinda monsters just dangle food in front of someone’s face like that?” Dean groaned, heading out of the room, likely to go see for himself. 

Ash looked at Castiel. “Should I show you my Patronus now, or wait for Dean?”

Castiel clicked his tongue, but shrugged. “Everyone back up, Ash is going to show his Patronus. Please don’t hurt anyone. Or break anything.”

The boy frowned. “I can’t really promise that.  _ Expecto Patronum!”  _ A silver monkey curled its way out of the tip of Ash’s wand and started trapezing around the room. 

The Ravenclaw girl looked at it and nodded approvingly. “And what sort of creature is that?” 

“Luna, it’s a monkey. Just a monkey.” Ash shook his head at her and the monkey fizzled out. 

Dean took this opportunity to come back in, looking harassed. “It’s all right friggen there! You guys know how irritating it is to see somethin’ you want and not be able to actually grab it? They did this shit on purpose, too.”

Castiel furrowed his eyebrows.  _ Wanting something and not being able to have it? Sounds like me last year.  _ He looked to Dean, smiling apologetically. “I’m sure there’s real food around here somewhere, Dean.”

He looked exasperated. “But Cass… there was  _ pie!”  _

Castiel wasn’t about to admit that he’d never had muggle pie before, so he just cleared his throat and hoped for the best. “What… kind of… pie?”

“All the kinds, Cass! Apple, pumpkin, cherry, some kind with nuts in it, I don’t care, it was friggen pie.” He looked downright grumpy at this point. 

“My poor baby,” Castiel shook his head, trying to fight the smile that wanted to creep onto his face, because he had to admit, that was adorable.

Finnick looked between them. “Is there… something the two of you want to share with the class?’ 

Dean looked at Finn, suddenly standing straighter. “I kiss him sometimes when nobody else is lookin’. You got a problem with that?” 

“Unless you happened to be in the same general area as us on the train. In that case,  _ everyone _ was looking.” Castiel crossed his arms, grinning a litte.

One of the other Ravenclaws, Beetee, raised his hand. “I saw you.” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “Yeah, great, awesome, whatever, can we move on now? Of all the things that have happened today, Cass callin’ me ‘baby’ and meaning it is probably the  _ least  _ weird.” 

Castiel nodded in agreement. “He’s not wrong, guys. What the hell are we supposed to do now? Just… wait?”

“I’m gonna park my ass right here until the actual food arrives.” Dean sat down in one of the chairs closest to the table. “Where’d the snakes go?”

Cato sauntered into the room, rolling his eyes. “Real funny, Winchester. We’ve  _ never _ heard that one before.”

Dean grinned and winked. “If it makes you feel better, you can call me a lion.” 

“It doesn’t.” Cato shook his head. 

Dean sat up a little bit. “Well, did you guys find anything or not? You guys have to at least  _ pretend  _ to be useful if we’re gonna make it out of this.”

“There’s like… a  _ room _ downstairs. Like… for training, or something. There’s these bag-like things that were hung from the ceiling and like… a running thing.” Jack explained, leaning against the wall.

“What are you, a friggen valley girl? Do you get a tip every time you use the word ‘like’ in a sentence?” Dean paused. “Don’t answer that.”

Jack squinted at him. “I’ve just never seen anything lik-” he paused. “Anything o _ f that nature _ , before.”

Dean grunted. “Right. It’s not surprising if they want us to show our strengths or whatever. Good work…. Jack? You’re Jack, right?” 

“You can call me Morningstar, it sounds  _ way _ cooler.” He nodded with a grin, almost  _ too _ excited.

“Yeah, I’m not gonna do that. Anyway, we can check it out later. Until the food arrives, you guys need to practice your Patronuses - if we’re actually surrounded by Dementors, they’re gonna come in handy sooner rather than later.” Dean kicked up his feet on a neighboring chair. 

Rue huffed. “I’ve tried so many times but it  _ never _ works.”

Dean studied her for a moment. “You wanna know the secret?”

“There’s a secret to creating your Patronus?” She raised her eyebrows. 

“Uh huh. And you know it’s a good secret, cuz Cass taught me. You can’t think about the

memory as a whole, you gotta focus on one little part… the part that made you the happiest. If you think about the big picture, too many things can go wrong. Too many other emotions get wrapped up into it. And me, personally? I found that a simple one did the trick, once I took out all the extras. One with no real motives behind it, y’know?”

She nodded slowly and pulled out her wand. She braced her feet and pointed her wand in no real direction. There was a silence that seemed to go on forever as Rue thought before she finally spoke, “ _ Expecto Patronum!” _

A silver streak flew out from Rue’s wand and swirled around, eventually taking the shape of what seemed to be a bird. Her eyes widened as she watched it, a grin spreading across her face. “It’s a Mockingjay!”

Dean beamed at her. “Hey! See, I knew you had it in you. I bet that thing is tough as nails, too… just like you are. It’s gonna do just fine against those evil, soul-sucking pricks.” 

Her face flushed slightly as the Mockingjay disappeared. “Thanks, Dean.”

Castiel grinned at the both of them, looking to Finnick. “Your turn, Finn.”

Finnick nodded and stepped forward. “ _ Expecto Patronum!”  _ It was a seahorse this time that made its way around the room. “After what happened last year, I practiced this spell all summer. Guess that’s a good thing.” 

Castiel squinted at it. “Finn is that- is that a  _ seahorse _ ?”

Finnick nodded as it disappeared. “I like the ocean.” 

Castiel smiled, that was actually kind of sweet. “I like it. It’s very different.”

Newt pushed off of the wall. “I don’t think mine would fit in here, so perhaps we should focus on something else for a little while? Are there any other spells you can think of that might come in handy?” As always, Newt’s eyes were somewhere just out of reach of Cass’s. 

Castiel breathed out, running a hand through his hair. “Uh…”

The food appeared on the table, and Dean’s “hell yeah!” interrupted. 

“ _ Lumos _ might, if it gets dark.” He moved and sat down beside Dean. “Is this food real?”

Dean answered only by shoveling an actual handful in his face, chewing and nodding. “Yeah, ‘s real.” 

Castiel grinned and noticed the bottle of firewhiskey on the table. He cleared his throat and reached for a butterbeer instead. “Good.”

Dean eyed the firewhiskey. “Hah! I told you if we were old enough to get thrown into some death match, we were old enough to drink.” He set down his food and reached for the bottle, standing up. “Anyone else want some or am I goin’ to bed nice and tanked tonight?”

“Hell no, Winchester. You aren’t drinking it all alone.” Finnick smirked. “You’ve gotta share.”

“Hey, take your seahorse and go back to the ocean, or better yet -- there’s a pool out back. Get your own.” Dean grinned and poured Finnick a glass anyway. 

Rue spoke quietly. “Can I try some this time?”

Castiel nodded instantly. “Of course you can. You might not like it, though. It’s quite strong.”

“Ahh, she’ll be fine, won’t ya Rue?” Dean poured a tiny bit in a glass and handed it to her. “Nobody drinks this shit cuz it tastes good, anyway. They drink it cuz it  _ feels  _ good.”

Castiel watched as Rue took the glass and put it to her lips. She took a small sip, scrunching up her face. “It’s… great. So good, really.”

Dean laughed. “Take it easy, kiddo. Don’t hurt yourself, it sneaks up on you quick.” Dean handed glasses to Cato and Jack, and finally poured one for himself. He leaned back against the table and looked at Cass. “You sure you don’t want any? It’s only here for ten minutes, then it’s gone.” 

He nodded a little. “Maybe a small glass, then. One of us has got to stay sober.”

“Why? It’s not like they’re comin’ back for us tonight.” He handed Castiel a glass. “Might as well enjoy what’s probably our last night of actual freedom.” 

Castiel took the glass and grinned, downing it quickly after a moment of hesitation. “You’re right, Dean. I don’t swear, not usually, but tonight? Tonight I say  _ fuck it. _ ”

Dean gave an exaggerated shiver. “Now we’re talkin’, angel.” He downed his own glass, and they barely got halfway into their second glasses before the food - and the firewhiskey - disappeared. “Guess the party’s over, huh?” 

Castiel frowned and looked at his hand that was now clutching nothing. “I suppose so. What time is it anyways?”

Sirius looked out the window. “It’s dark, so I’m guessing it’s late. Maybe we should try to get some sleep before those fuckers come back for us in the morning.” 

Dean nodded. “Yeah, there’s twelve of us and seven bedrooms, if the count was correct. Some of us are gonna have to double up. Any takers?”

Luna spoke up. “I’ll share with Rue, since we’re the only girls. Is that alright, Rue?”

Rue nodded, looking at Luna. “That’s okay with me, yes.”

“Alright then, uhh -- Sirius, I know how god fuckin’ awful it is to share a dorm with you, so in the interest of everyone else, you get your own. Cato, you too - I doubt there’d be enough room for a second person in your bed. The rest of you, I don’t care. Just don’t kill each other over it, okay? We’ll meet back here tomorrow morning and see what the hell happens.” 

Castiel nodded in agreement and instinctively moved closer to Dean. “What he said.”

Everyone made their way to the bedrooms and surprisingly not even the Slytherin’s killed anyone. Castiel stood and looked to Dean. “Are you coming?”

Dean looked uncharacteristically nervous, but nodded and followed Cass. “Yeah, I’m here.” 

**_Dean_ **

Dean wasn’t sure why he was nervous about this. More than likely, most of them would be dead soon and wouldn’t be able to say a damn thing about the fact that he followed Castiel entirely too eagerly into the room and shut the door behind him. 

Dean’s heart was beating too fast again, just hammering away at his chest loud enough that he was convinced Cass could hear it. He turned away from the door and walked over to the bed. “At least it’s warm in here, those assholes didn’t leave us pajamas.” 

Castiel shivered, nodding. “I see that. I’m not surprised.”

Dean’s brows pinched together as he pulled his robes off. “You’re shivering… you cold?” 

“Uh… I’m alright.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled his shoes and socks off. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m… aces. All good over here, nothin’ to worry about.” He followed Cass’s lead, honestly not sure how much to take off or leave on. He decided to leave the socks, but pulled off his shirt. 

Castiel pulled his shirt off as well and stood, looking down at his pants. “These won’t be comfortable to sleep in. Do you, uh, do you mind?”

Suddenly Dean’s mouth was very dry, and he attempted to swallow. “No, uhh… it’s fine. You’re probably right, anyway. We might as well get comfortable.” Dean grabbed ahold of a split second of courage that he felt, and tugged his pants off. He quickly moved to the bed in just his boxers and his socks and climbed in. “Luckily for you, I friggen radiate body heat, so if you  _ are  _ cold, you won’t be for long.” 

Castiel bit his lip and watched Dean, pulling his own pants off as he straightened his boxers before crawling into the bed beside Dean. “I’m uh- I’m actually pretty cold, now that I think about it.”

Dean relaxed slightly.  _ See? The guy’s cold, now you’ve got an excuse. You can do this, you’ve got a reason to now, it doesn’t have to be all weird.  _ “Oh, well uh… come here then.” He lifted the blanket up and extended his arm. 

Castiel rolled so he was laying on his side next to Dean, laying his arm across Dean’s torso, smiling. “Thanks.”

Dean licked his lip, acutely aware of every bit of contact between their skin. “Yeah, no problem. But uhh… you might want to get a little closer.” He added quickly, “Y’know… for warmth. Don’t want you catchin’ a cold before we get tossed into Purgatory.” 

“Oh, of course.” Castiel slid closer, resting his head on Dean’s shoulder. “Is this… is this okay?”

Dean nodded quickly. “Yeah, yeah… ‘s fine.” He wrapped his arm fully around Cass and then stopped moving entirely. 

Castiel relaxed against Dean, tilting his head up slightly as he whispered, “kiss me, Dean.”

Dean’s lips were on Cass’ before he could even attempt to talk himself out of it. His hand was moving again too, his fingertips trailing up and down Cass’ bare back. 

Castiel shuddered, biting Dean’s bottom lip gently, his eyes closed. 

Dean was half horrified, half embarrassed at the sound that came out of him. He reclaimed his lip and then deepened the kiss, his hand sliding further down Cass’s back and stopping on his hip. He slid his leg between Cass’s and pulled him even closer. 

Castiel smiled against Dean’s lips and pulled back long enough to say, “I lied about being cold, by the way.” He pressed his lips to Dean’s again, interlocking their fingers on Dean’s free hand.

Dean pulled those hands above Cass’s head, using that as an opportunity to roll them so Dean was hovering over him. “I know, your skin’s on fire. What’s the matter, angel? Getting a little overheated?” He dipped his head down to bite Cass’ neck, tightening his grip on his hand. 

Castiel gasped quietly and tilted his head to the side, biting his lip. “N-no, not overheated. I’m great, a-actually.”

“Mmmhm. I know you are, I can  _ feel _ how  _ great  _ you are.” The hand he still had on Cass’ waist squeezed him there, and he bit down a little harder, sucking over the teeth marks. 

Castiel brought his free hand to the back of Dean’s head, twirling his fingers into his hair as he moaned softly. 

_ Jesus, does he always sound like this?  _ He flicked his tongue across the bruise that was already forming on Cass’ neck. “We should uhhh… we should sleep.” 

Castiel squirmed beneath Dean, his eyes fluttering closed. “You’re probably correct.” He bent his knee, fitting it between Dean’s legs.

It was Dean’s turn to moan, and he buried his face in Cass’ neck to muffle the sound. “That was rude. I don’t -- I -- we need to quit, before I  _ can’t  _ quit.” 

Castiel whined quietly but straightened his legs, relaxing beneath Dean. “You’re right, you’re right.”

_ C’mon, Cass. Tell me I’m wrong, not that I’m right. Fight me on this. I don’t wanna stop.  _ But stop he did. With a hard exhale, he rolled off of Cass and laid on his back. “Just c’mere.” 

Castiel sat up quickly, suddenly very grateful they got the bedroom with the bathroom attached to it. “I uh- I need to uh… I got hot and a cold shower is something that will… uh..” He scrambled out of bed before Dean could notice anything and into the bathroom, and Dean could hear the sound of the shower turning on.

_ Smooth fuckin’ move, Winchester. You finally get the guy alone and he’s about to take a cold shower instead of --  _ He groaned loudly, rolling over and burying his face in the pillow.  _ We’re probably gonna fuckin’ die, and you’re gonna chicken out now?  _ Dean took a few deep breaths into the pillow, calming himself down in the same way he imagined Cass was doing in that cold, lonely shower. He rolled back onto his back when he thought it was safe, and closed his eyes. 

The sound of the shower turning off was followed by Castiel appearing from the bathroom in his boxers again, teeth chattering as he dove into bed and cuddled into Dean’s side. 

Dean kept his eyes closed, because he was positive that the sight of Castiel still wet from the shower would undo absolutely any resolve he had to behave. Instead, he wrapped himself around Cass and pulled him close, rubbing his palms over his arm to help create friction. “Just give it a minute, you’ll be warm again soon.” 

He nodded and closed his eyes, reaching down to pull Dean’s leg between his again. “L-leave it there. If you’re comfortable, I mean.”

And he was, for some stupid reason he couldn’t wrap his head around in that moment, this was probably the most comfortable he’d ever been in his life. “Yeah, okay. I can do that.” He planted a kiss to Cass’ forehead, his nose rubbing against his wet hair. “Get some sleep, angel. I got you, okay? No one can do a goddamned thing about it, either.” 

Castiel let out a deep breath, pressing himself closer to Dean as he nodded quickly. “I know. I’ve got you, too.”


	16. Smells Like Teen Spirit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to... REALLY up the speed of posting. You guys get the rest of Part Two today... Part Three in it's entirety next Monday, Part Four the first Monday of April.... and then the Epilogue sometime in the days following that, I doubt I'll wait a whole week. I hope that for the very, very few of you that are actually reading this... it helps make your quarantine a little bit easier. - Ketch

_**Dean:** _

The funny thing about plans… was that Dean didn’t have one. He didn’t have a clue how he was supposed to get between nine and twelve people out of a place he’s never been to, that’s only known exit allows just a single person through before closing. It was impossible, and Dean knew it. He hadn’t been thinking about escaping  _ or  _ surviving when he’d volunteered for Sam. He hadn’t been thinking about anything past the fact that those few words would allow him to protect both his brother and his friends, and that was all there was to it. Now, Sam was safe back at Hogwarts. Sure, he’d be devastated and worried - but he’d be  _ safe.  _ And plan or no plan, Dean was still of more use to his friends here than he would have been in History of Magic or Potions class. He’d just have to improvise until he could come up with an actual plan. 

Luckily for Dean, he didn’t have to work very hard this time. He’d opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off in every sense when Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane appeared in front of him, effectively blocking him from the rest of his friends. 

“Playtime is over, children. Now the  _ real  _ fun can begin,” Flickerman stated. Dean inched around Seneca Crane to join the rest of the tributes, standing defensively in front of Rue and Luna. “Today is part one of your training exercises. As a reminder, you will have a few days to prepare and stretch out your magical and non-magical limbs, and then exactly one week from today you will be taken to an extra special part of the training facility where you will be expected to put your best foot - or wand arm - forward. You will have an opportunity to show the pureblood families and your professors what you can do individually, and that will decide if you receive a leg up when going into the Arena. Does anyone have any questions?” 

Beetee Latier’s hand shot up, as did Finnick’s. Flickerman looked right at them and ignored them. “Excellent, I like a confident group that doesn’t ask too many questions. Now, without further ado... “ Flickerman brandished two odd-looking objects from his jacket and handed one to Sirius, and kept the other for himself. “These are PortKeys, I’m assuming you all know that their purpose is to teleport us from one place to another so grab ahold… quickly now, come on.” 

Everyone quickly scrambled to get a finger on one of the PortKeys, and about a minute of confused claustrophobia later, Dean was very much reacquainted with the feeling of being compressed and yanked through time and space. 

**_Castiel: Day One_ **

Castiel’s eyes scanned the area when they landed.  _ Four walls… concrete? Tables… is that a cauldron? Are those plants? And those… those are guns. Muggle guns. Muggle  _ **_weapons_ ** _.  _ His eyes flicked to an empty room that was higher off the ground, built into the wall. Castiel tilted his head slightly but eventually pulled his eyes away, watching as some of the others began to test things out.

He walked towards the muggle guns but stayed a far bit back,w watching Cato pick one up. He wondered if Cato even knew how to use one of those, or if he was just doing it in hopes to seem tough. By the way Cato loaded it quickly, Castiel felt as if it wasn’t just for show.

He swallowed hard and made his way over to where he saw all the plants. Rue was sitting down there, matching the name of plants to the plants themselves. Castiel sat down beside her, resting his elbows on the table.“You’re really good at this.” He smiled at her, flipping the card that read ‘Dittany’ over. Written on the back was:  _ Dittany is a powerful healing herb and restorative and may be eaten raw to cure shallow wounds.  _

Rue smiled slightly and looked over at him. “Herbology is my favourite.”

Castiel pointed to another plant, it had what looked like brown spots on it, its tips were a reddish colour and near the stem a dull green. “Alright, Rue. If you’re so clever, what’s this one?”She rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s an Alihotsy plant. It causes uncontrollable laughter.”

Castiel raised his eyebrow and looked around for that card. When he found it, he flipped it over and read the back:  _ Alihotsy (also known as the Hyena tree) is a magical tree. The leaves of the plant can induce hysteria and uncontrollable laughter. _

“Wow.” Castiel nodded to her. “Okay and… that one?” He pointed to a plant with a black stem and white petals.

“Moly,” Rue answered simply. “It undoes enchantments.”

Castiel reached for card that read ‘Moly’ and flipped it over. He scanned the words and then read outloud, “Moly is a powerful plant that can be eaten to counteract enchantments.”

“Told you.” Rue grinned. Castiel chuckled quietly and stood, ruffling her hair. “Alright, you keep up the good work, okay? I’m going to go see what the others are doing.”

Rue nodded and huffed, fixing her hair. “Okay, Castiel. I’ll see you later.”

Castiel left the Herbology station and walked over to the table that held the cauldron. He noticed a shelf on the wall that held many different potion ingredients and moved closer to it. 

He scanned the shelves and grabbed an armful of ingredients, then walked back to the cauldron. He set the ingredients down and picked up the powdered moonstone. He added some of it, watching as the potion changed colour, eventually reaching green. 

He set the moonstone down and began to stir, waiting for the potion to turn blue. After a few moments it reached that colour of blue that was required.

Castiel resumed with the powdered moonstone, waiting until the concoction turned purple. 

After it eventually reached the necessary colour, he turned down the heat on the burner, bringing the potion to a simmer. He rested his arms on the table, watching the potion intently.

_ Come on… turn pink. 3… 2… 1… PINK. _ He sighed when it didn’t turn pink and closed his eyes, trying to think about where he could’ve gone wrong. When he opened his eyes again, the colour of the potion staring back at him was indeed pink.

He grinned and reached for the syrup of hellebore, adding it slowly. The potion turned turquoise, so Castiel stopped adding hellebore and let it simmer again. 

The process of making this potion continued on for a while, Castiel doing the second last step which was adding powdered porcupine quills, stirring at the same time, waiting for the potion to turn white. 

“Novak!” A voice called from behind him which he quickly recognized as Finnick’s. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Making a Draught of Peace potion, Finn.” Castiel didn’t turn to him but became aware of his presence when he was suddenly standing on the other side of the table.“How the hell d’you remember the recipe for that?” Finnick asked, peering into the cauldron.

“I don’t know. Practice, probably. Or there’s this thing called  _ studying _ . Perhaps you should look into it one day.” Castiel smirked, stopping his stirring and halting with the porcupine quills when the potion turned white. 

Castiel reached out and lowered the heat on the cauldron so it was simmering again, before reaching for the hellebore syrup once more. He opened the jar and tipped it over the cauldron, counting in his head.  _ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven drops of hellebore. _

Setting the syrup down again, he and Finnick waited patiently, watching as the potion turned turquoise once more. Castiel grinned and shut off the flame under the cauldron before pouring it into an empty vial.

“I gotta say, Novak, I’m impressed.” Finnick nodded, his eyebrows raised. “Good work.”

“Thanks, Finn. Have you seen Dean?” Castiel asked, wrapping his hand around the vial.

“You mean the guy who gave you  _ that? _ ” Finnick smirked, pointing to the dark bruise on Castiel’s neck.

Castiel cleared his throat as he felt his face heating up. “Shut up and just tell me where he is.”

Finnick pointed behind Castiel to where the trapping station was. Dean looked like he was in the middle of attempting some complicated muggle knot. “Hey! Winchester! Your boyfriend needs you!” 

Dean looked up, his eyebrows furrowed. They relaxed as he stood up, walking over to them. “Yeah, sorry. Got a little carried away. What’s up?”

Castiel shot Finnick a look and was suddenly wishing he had made a Draught of Living Death potion instead. He watched Finnick smirk and walk off before Castiel turned to Dean. 

“What have you been practicing?”

Dean shrugged. “Cato’s hoggin’ the good shit, so I was tryin’ to work on my snares. I figure we’re probably gonna have to trap our dinner more often than not, and it’s been awhile since I’ve actually hunted.” 

Castiel nodded, watching him. “Cato seems to know what he’s doing too. Did he come from a muggle family?”

Dean shook his head. “Nah, his blood’s  _ pure.”  _ He said the last word with obvious distaste. “It’s more likely his folks knew he was gonna be Chosen, especially if this thing was rigged all the way around. I heard some families train their kids for this shit, like they  _ hope  _ they’ll be taken.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he licked his bottom lip quickly. “That’s… that’s fucked up.”

Dean blinked at him. “Dude, it still sounds  _ so  _ weird when you cuss.” He shook his head quickly. “Anyway, Finn said you needed me?” 

Castiel nodded and showed him the vial of the potion. “It’s Draught of Peace. I know you’ve been stressed and worried and stuff so I just figured… here.” He handed it to him, before folding his hands behind his back.

Dean took it with a surprised look. “Cass, that’s… thanks.” He gave the vial an almost hungry look, but then held it out to Cass. “Give it to Rue. I’ve got you to keep me calm, she’s all alone. She needs it more than I do.” 

Castiel smiled slightly and took it back, nodding. “Yes, alright, I’ll do that. She’s over at the Herbology station, she really knows her plants.”

Dean grinned. “Of course she does, she’s a Hufflepuff. Aren’t you people like… born with flowers stickin’ out of your ears?” 

Cass rolled his eyes, mimicking Dean. “ _ Born with flowers sticking out of your ears.” _ He shook his head with a grin. “I must be a terrible Hufflepuff, then.”

“Well, you kinda are. Everybody with half a brain knows you shoulda been a Ravenclaw.” He clapped Cass on the shoulder. “Guess even the Sorting Hat fucks things up every now and then, right? Anyway, I’m gonna get back to my knots. Tell Rue I said ‘bottoms up,’ okay? Don’t let her talk herself out of it. The kid deserves a break.” Dean didn’t wait for Cass to respond; he turned on his heels and jogged back over to the station he’d been at, settling down once more with his snares.

Castiel watched Dean go, smiling a little before returning to Rue. “You know there  _ are  _ other stations in this place, right?”

“None that I’ll be good at,” she huffed, looking to him. “What’s that?”“What’s what? Oh, this?” He held up the vial. “It’s a Draught of Peace potion. It’s for you.” He hands it to her. “It’s to calm you down, stop your nerves.”

She took the potion, smiling a little bit. “Thank you, Castiel. I appreciate it.”

Castiel smiled as well, nodding. “You’re most welcome, Rue. Come on, drink it. Dean says ‘bottoms up.’”

Rue opened the vial and drank it, Castiel watching as Rue visibly relaxed. “Do you feel better?”

She nodded, holding onto the vial that still had some remaining. “I do, actually. Thank you again.”

Suddenly Seneca Crane and Caesar Flickerman appeared, Seneca speaking rather loudly. “Gather round, gather round. Your training session for day one is over.”

Castiel watched as the other tributes reluctantly made their way over to the two, Castiel waiting for Rue before joining.

Castiel took a deep breath and braced himself, stumbling when they all landed back at the house without Crane or Flickerman.

Dean looked around. “Where’d those fuckers go? Did they honestly just cut and run? I’ve got questions that need answers.” 

Sirius shrugged. “I’m sure dinner will be the same deal as last night, Winchester. You’ve got ten minutes to eat once it shows up, so maybe this time you pay more attention to the food than Cass?” 

Dean shot him a glare, but the food showed up at that moment and Dean made a beeline for it. 

Castiel felt his stomach rumbling as he looked at the food. It had only just occurred to him that he hadn’t had breakfast this morning, simply because he was afraid he’d puke. He grabbed a roll off the table and leaned against the wall, watching everyone else and secretly hoping there’d be no food left for the Slytherins. “So tonight we just… wait? Same thing as last night?”

Dean shook his head, his mouth entirely full of food. He chewed quickly and swallowed. “No,” he coughed, presumably from food stuck in his throat. His voice was clear when he spoke again. “No, we’re not waiting for anything. The real training will happen here. We’ve seen what they’ve got to offer us, so... “ Dean eyed the food again. “Okay, if we’ve seriously only got ten minutes to eat, we’re gonna have to talk later. Sorry, angel.” Dean promptly shoved a handful of food in his mouth again, foregoing the silverware entirely. 

Castiel shook his head with a small smile as he broke his roll in half, taking a bite. “That’s true. We’re like animals to them.”

Dean mumbled his agreement, but was busy trying to stuff his pockets full of food as he chewed what was already in his mouth. 

Castiel watched everyone eat quietly for a while, before Rue reached for a butterbeer and all the food disappeared. Castiel frowned, sighing quietly. “Well, that’s over.”

Dean looked horrified and quickly patted his pockets, which seemed to do absolutely nothing to comfort him. “God  _ damnit!”  _ He deflated and stood from the table. “Alright, since those bastards don’t seem to believe in dessert, I guess we can get to work.” 

Newt spoke up. “Dean… don’t you think we’ve done enough work today?” 

“Look, I can’t make any of you do anything. But the way I see it, this is simple. Like it or not, those sponsors are our only chance of surviving Purgatory long enough to even think about getting out. We need them, and so we gotta do this right. And even if we put that aside, personally I’d feel better if I knew you guys knew how to throw a decent jinx at someone. I thought we’d practice on the Slytherins.” He grinned widely, looking to Cato. 

Cato clicked his tongue, chuckling quietly. “Yeah, I don’t think so, Winchester.” He paused for a second as if he was debating something, before he tilted his head and spoke “on second thought, let’s do it. No promises we won’t accidentally kill someone, though. Jinx’s can get outta hand.”

“It’s cute you think you’ve got enough juice to knock the life outta someone, Cato. But fine, I’ll tell you what. You let the girls practice on you, I’ll let you practice on me.”

Castiel shook his head quickly, grabbing Dean’s arm and pulling him back. “That is a  _ terrible _ idea, Dean.”

Dean ignored him, looking at Cato. “Going once… twice…” 

Cato clicked his tongue and smirked. “Fine, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Castiel clenched his jaw and let go of Dean’s arm rather forcefully, shaking his head but staying quiet.

Dean nodded once, glancing briefly at Cass before looking back to Cato. “Alright then. Rue and Luna get to do whatever the hell they want, and if you feel the need to retaliate, you point your wand at me. If you so much as disarm one of them, the deal’s off.” Cato nodded his agreement, and Dean looked to Rue. “You’re up, little one. Give him hell.” 

Rue tensed and then followed everyone else down to the training room downstairs. She stood across from Cato and looked over at Castiel. He shifted and tried to hide his fear, crossing his arms and nodding to her. 

Rue cleared her throat and pointed her wand at a very confident-looking Cato. “ _ Melofors!”  _ Suddenly, Cato’s expression wasn’t visible, because his head was encased in a rather large pumpkin. 

Cato yelled out loudly and tried to pull the pumpkin off of his head. “Get it off of me!”

Dean was laughing loudly, then waved his wand and said the counter-jinx. “You owe me now, Cato. I coulda let you walk around like that forever.” 

Cato shot Rue the  _ deadliest _ look, almost as if he’d rather have been harmed than embarrassed like that. He turned quickly and pointed his wand at Dean. “ _ Locomotor Wibbly!” _

Castiel watched as Dean’s legs collapsed beneath him, clenching his jaw a little.

Dean, for his part, just glared and stood back up. “Yeah, yeah. Alright, Luna. You next.” 

Luna looked almost frightfully between Dean, Cass and Cato, but then her eyes narrowed and she pointed her wand. “ _ Engorgio Skullus!”  _ It would appear the girls weren’t very fond of Cato’s head, because now it’s size was expanding rapidly. 

Cato yelled out angrily again, pointing his wand at Dean before the counter-jinx was even said. “ _ Flipendo!” _

Castiel rolled his eyes and pulled his own wand out, pointing it at Cato. “ _ Redactum Skullus _ ! Hey, look at that Cato, now you owe me too.”

Dean had gotten pushed back by Cato’s jinx, but stayed on his feet. “Nice work, Cass, but I think he was better lookin’ when his head was all swollen like that.” Dean brushed off his shirt and looked at Rue. “Kick his ass.” 

Rue nodded to Dean, looking encouraged by the fact that Cato wasn’t actually hurting Dean in retaliation. She pointed her wand at Cato and shouted  _ “Rictusempra!”  _ and then giggled wildly as Cato fell on the floor, almost cackling under the influence of the tickling curse. 

Cato was half laughing, half screaming as he rolled around on the ground, his arms wrapped around his stomach. “S-stop! M-make it s-stop!”

Rue released him from the curse, but Luna quickly stepped in to take her place, firing off another one before Cato could even stand back up. “ _ Slugulus Eructo!”  _

Cato began to aggressively vomit slugs, doubling over as they spewed out of him. Castiel cringed and looked to Luna. “Really?”

Luna shrugged. “It’s surprisingly effective. If we needed to run, we’d have ample time to escape.” 

Dean grimaced. “Yeah, you guys might wanna head back upstairs. I don’t think Cato’s gonna be in the mood to play much once he’s done pukin’ slugs.” 

Alecto Carrow stepped out of the corner where he was standing and pointed his wand at Dean. “ _ Sectumsempra!” _

Dean gasped quietly, looking down at his chest. Blood started pouring out of his very-shredded t-shirt. He looked up at Cass with wide eyes, his mouth hanging slightly open. He dropped to his knees. “Cass -- v-vulnera sanen--sanent--” 

Finnick’s voice rang out as he stepped between Dean and Alecto, pointing his wand at the latter.  _ “Petrificus Totalus!”  _ Alecto went stone still and tipped over just as Dean fell the rest of the way to the ground. 

Castiel ran over to Dean and fell beside him, his heart racing as he held onto him. He was well aware of the counter-jinx and knew it had to be said in a sing-song voice. “ _ Vulnera Sanentur! _ ” 

Castiel held onto Dean and hummed quietly, watching as the blood disappeared, no longer affected by the sounds of Cato puking.

Dean latched onto Cass’s arm. “K-keep going, please, Cass --” 

After waiting until the blood stopped completely, he pointed his wand at Dean again, closing his eyes. “ _ Vulnera Sanentur! _ ”

The wounds on Dean’s chest started to stitch back together, and Luna dragged a very frightened Rue back up the stairs and out of sight. “One more time.” Dean’s voice was stronger, but he was still squeezing Cass’s arm hard enough that it was starting to hurt.

Finnick rallied up all the others and sent them out as well, standing at the door to guard it and telling Sirius to make sure no one got murdered upstairs.Castiel kept his wand pointed at Dean and said through a shaky, sing-song voice, “ _ Vulnera Sanentur! _ ”

A few moments later, the wounds on Dean’s chest and stomach were just bright pink scars. He heaved in a breath and looked at Cass with a half-smile. “You should sing more often.” 

Castiel glared at Dean but pulled him into a tight hug, burying his face in Dean’s neck. “I was so worried, Dean. So fucking worried.”

Dean looked up to where Alecto was still frozen on the ground. “Yeah, that wasn’t part of the deal.” 

The sound of vomiting had stopped, and Cato stood slowly. “I know it wasn’t. I didn’t tell him to do that.” 

Castiel ignored Cato and didn’t let go of Dean, whispering. “You could’ve died before we even got into Purgatory.”

Dean let out a breath. “Yeah, but I didn’t. Maybe we should just stick to easy shit from here on out, and no more practicing on each other.” Dean looked up at Cato, who nodded and then surprisingly, kicked Alecto. 

“We’ve got enough enemies without adding to the list. I could have used that curse from the jump, but I didn’t. He had no business even getting involved, I can fight my own fucking battles.” Cato glared down at Alecto and then headed for the stairs. “Leave him there until it wears off, I’ll deal with him later.” He ducked around Finnick and disappeared up the stairs. 

Dean looked at Cass. “How’d you know the counter curse?” 

He pulled back, flicking his eyes between Dean’s. “I studied  _ way  _ more spells than I needed to for Charms class last year.”

Dean grinned and stood up, slightly unsteady on his feet but otherwise now unharmed. “Tryin’ to impress me, Novak?” 

Castiel shook his head and got to his feet, realizing he had some of Dean’s blood stained on his shirt, but not mentioning it. “No, I just figured you’d have  _ Sectumsempra _ used on you at some point and figured I should be prepared.”

Dean huffed a laugh. “Yeah, I do have a serious problem with pissin’ people off, don’t I?” He shook his head, then walked over to Finnick. “Thanks for uhh… y’know. The revenge jinx.”

The corner of Finnick’s mouth turned up in a tiny smile, but he scoffed. “I didn’t do it for you,  _ dick.  _ I did it so he didn’t go all curse-crazy and kill all of us. Don’t let it go to your head.” 

Dean chuckled and turned back to Cass. “You comin’? I think we could all use showers and some sleep at this point. And you should probably make sure Rue’s okay, she looked scared out of her damn mind and we all know she likes you best.” 

Castiel nodded and walked towards the stairs. “You’re right. Lead the way.”

Dean followed Finnick up the stairs and back into the main hallway. “I’m gonna grab a shower, I’ll just meet you in the room whenever you talk to Rue and get cleaned up, okay?” 

Castiel blinked at Dean and nodded. “Yes, alright.” He turned and knocked on the door to the room that Luna and Rue shared.

“Rue?” Castiel called softly but loud enough to be heard. The door opened and Luna was there. 

“Can I help you?” Luna asked, her eyebrows raised. 

“Uh… is Rue in here?” Castiel asked, trying to look around Luna. 

“She is.” Luna confirmed simply.

Castiel squinted at her. “Can I see her, then?”

Luna looked back at Rue who nodded slowly. Luna stepped out of the room, brushing past Castiel. Castiel raised his eyebrow, but walked in, closing the door after her.

“Hey, Rue. Are you alright? It was really scary back there.” Castiel said softly, moving to sit on the bed beside her. 

She sniffled and looked down. “Is Dean okay?”Castiel breathed out and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “He’s alright, yes. I did the counter-jinx, all he has now are a few scars.”

“Why did Alecto do that?” Rue asked, her voice shaky as she laid her head on Castiel’s shoulder.

“I don’t know, honestly. Cato didn’t tell him to do that, he probably wanted to protect his friend and overreacted.”

“Slicing someone open isn’t how you protect your friends!” Rue exclaimed.

Castiel kissed the top of her head, nodding. “I know it’s not. We all know it’s not, except for Alecto, apparently.”

“Is it my fault, Castiel? Is it my fault that Dean got hurt?” She asked in barely a whisper.

“Absolutely not, Rue.” He pulled back from her and turned to face her, turning her face to his gently. “It’s nobody’s fault except Alecto’s. And maybe Dean’s for suggesting such a stupid idea. He had good intentions, they just didn’t pan out that way.”

She sniffled and nodded, wiping her eyes. “Okay.”He watched her, swallowing hard.  _ If she thinks this is bad, how the hell is she going to handle Purgatory? _ “Alright, are you okay?”“Yes.” She smiled slightly, nodding. 

“Good. Get some sleep, okay? I’ll see you in the morning.” Castiel stood and left the room, walking past a very narrowed eyed Luna. 

He opened the door to the room him and Dean shared and walked in, pulling his shirt off as he walked. “She’s a little shaken up, but she’ll be alright. She’s worried about you.”

Dean was sitting on the edge of the bed in just pajama pants. He nodded, his voice quiet. “You tell her I’m alright?” 

Castiel nodded, closing the door after him. “I did, yes. She’ll be fine. How are your scars?”

Dean looked down at his bare chest and shrugged. “I don’t think they’re goin’ anywhere, if that’s what you mean.” 

Castiel closed his eyes briefly and frowned. “I’m sorry about that. I wish there was more I could do.”

He shook his head. “No, Cass, you saved my life. You wouldn’t believe how quickly someone can bleed out from that curse. I’m lucky you were there, I can’t really imagine Cato savin’ me and I doubt anyone else even knew the counter.” 

Castiel breathed out and then nodded. “Yes, you’re probably right. I wasn’t going to let you die, Dean. Especially not to Alecto Carrow.”

Dean chuckled. “Yeah, but I bet you’d have let it happen if it was this time last year.” He laid down, pulling the blanket over his legs. “C’mon, let’s just try to relax while we can.” 

Castiel shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t have. I’ve never hated you, Dean.” He frowned and looked down at himself. “I still need to shower, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” 

He walked into the bathroom and closed the door, turning the water to the shower on. He waited for it to heat up before stepping into it after ditching his pants, closing his eyes as the hot water dripped down his skin. He took a few moments just to stand there, letting the heat work out some of the tension in his shoulders. 

After showering he turned the water off and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist. He opened the bathroom door and walked out to the bedroom, opening the dresser that he had discovered held the pajamas.

“Don’t get dressed on my account.” 

Castiel heard him and smiled slightly, holding a pair of pajama pants. “You’ve got some on, it’s only fair.” He turned to him, tilting his head slightly.

“Yeah, yeah, just hurry it up. I think I’ve waited long enough.” Dean was looking at him with his bottom lip pulled between his teeth and his eyes slightly closed. 

Castiel looked between Dean and the bathroom, silently debating where he should change, before settling on the bathroom. He walked in and stepped out of view of Dean, not bothering to close the door as he dropped his towel and pulled the pants on.

“Aww, come on, angel! You’re really gonna hide from me  _ now?”  _ Dean’s voice was firm but quiet enough it wouldn’t travel much further than the bathroom. 

“Unless you want a repeat of last night,” Castiel stepped into Dean’s view now, walking towards the bed, “yes, I’m going to have to hide from you.”

Dean seemed to consider him for a moment. “What if we skipped the repeat  _ and  _ you quit hiding from me?” He smirked, sitting up on the bed.

Castiel clicked his tongue, moving to sit down on the bed beside him. “Well, the good part of last night would happen again and probably more.”

Dean nodded. “Mmmhm, I think you’re right. I don’t exactly have any objections here, Cass. I don’t know about you.” 

Castiel raised his eyebrow, but quickly moved so he was straddling Dean, kissing him once. “But last night you forced yourself to stop.”

“Last night, I forgot we were probably gonna be dead soon. I say, take what we can while we can and to hell with the rest of it.” He slid his hands up Cass’s back, bringing one to the back of his head and pulling him back into another kiss. 

Cass smiled into it, his hands on Dean’s sides as he relaxed, his eyes closing. He paused all of a sudden and pulled back, looking around for something.

Dean frowned at him. “What?” 

Castiel reached over off the side of the bed, nearly falling but grabbing onto Dean’s thigh to keep himself seated. He picked up his wand and pointed it at the door. “ _ Colloportus! _ ” 

Dean chuckled. “I thought you didn’t know the spell to lock doors?”

Castiel shrugged. “I uh- I may have taken it upon myself to learn it at the training centre this morning.”

Dean kissed him again, wrapping his arms tightly around Castiel. He pulled them down, keeping one arm braced across Cass’s back as he used the other to pull the blankets over their heads. He deepened the kiss and tugged on Cass’s bottom lip with his teeth, releasing it a moment later. “I hope you weren’t plannin’ on getting a lot of sleep tonight, angel. I’ve been waitin’ a long time for this.” 

Castiel shook his head, his stomach tightening. “I- I wasn’t.” He pressed his lips to Dean’s again, closing his eyes, relaxing against him.  _ Believe me, Dean, I’ve been waiting longer. _

**_Dean: Day Two_ **

“Quickly now, quickly, it’s going to leave without you.” Dean hadn’t waited for Flickerman’s warning, he simply grabbed hold of the PortKey and braced himself. When they landed, he scanned the room.  _ Same shit, different day.  _ He hadn’t gone near the guns yesterday because Cato had been using them, but today they were all alone and ready for him. He was silently thankful that his father taught him how to strip and reassemble a gun at an almost unholy age. By now, it was muscle memory. He could tell just by looking at most guns how they came apart, how they needed cleaned, and what kind of ammunition they required. His eyes scanned the surrounding tables and he rolled his eyes when he realized all they were offered were rubber bullets. He hoped that wouldn’t be the case in Purgatory; he knew they were going to need all the weapons they could get their hands on if they had any chance at survival. _ This is probably just a precautionary measure to ensure we don’t accidentally kill someone before we’re even in the Arena.  _

He eyed the colt M1911A1 with a grin… his father had gifted him one for his 10th birthday. He stripped it, and loaded it as he put it back together after making sure they hadn’t rigged it somehow. He picked it up and frowned at the weight, the lack of real bullets made it lighter than it was intended to be. He shrugged it off, happy to have something other than his cyprus wand in his hand for once. He raised it to shoulder level, his finger extended out instead of wrapped around the trigger. He pointed it briefly at Cato, and the urge to shoot filled him as rapidly as the realization that they’d made a  _ very  _ wise choice by giving him fake bullets instead of live rounds. 

He took a couple of shots at the targets placed around the room, and a couple of people turned to look. Dean ignored them, and started shooting at unconventional targets: he hit one of the empty vials on the Potions table and it shattered from impact alone, and then he shot the bowler hat right off of Caesar Flickerman’s head. 

Flickerman turned around, his face beat red from anger. Dean stifled a laugh, but caught sight of Castiel’s terrified expression from just beyond the irate wizard. He sombered, as Flickerman raised his wand and pointed it at Dean. “ _ Why you little..! _ ” 

Dean never got to find out what about him was little, because Seneca Crane of all people stepped between the two. “Caesar, you cannot kill the boy. Voldemort wants all twelve of them in the Arena, no exceptions. He’ll be dead in a fortnight anyway, just let it go.” 

Flickerman spit in Dean’s direction and then hautilly walked away. Dean set the gun down, an uneasiness spreading over him at the reminder that they were technically here training for their deaths. He shuddered, no longer feeling that sense of rebellious pride he’d briefly experienced when shooting Flickerman’s hat. 

He walked slowly through the rest of the training room, stopping once he approached the weight bench. He considered going easy on himself and hiding just how strong he really was, but ultimately decided that wouldn’t do him any good. The goal was to get sponsors, and he wouldn’t get so much as a band-aid sent with him if he didn’t prove he was worth something.  _ Fat chance of that happening, but you gotta try, at least for the sake of everyone else. Maybe they won’t notice.  _

Dean had no idea what most of the things in front of him were, but he sat down on a weight bench and wrapped his hands around the weight bar resting just above shoulder height. He clenched his jaw and flexed his biceps a few times before trying to lift it, and was nearly thrown out of the chair because there wasn’t actually any weight attached to it. His face flushed and he quickly got up, added some weight to both sides and reset his position. He was grateful that it didn’t seem like anyone had been watching that, and this time, he lifted the bar without nearly as much build-up. 

He lowered and lifted the weight bar several times, then decided to move on. The weight bench he was on had a leg function, so he tucked his feet behind the two bars at the bottom and lifted. He was pleased to find out that this one already had weights loaded onto it, and he gripped the seat around him as he extended and relaxed his legs. He was drawing the eyes of a few of the Death Eaters in the corner, so he stopped briefly to add more weight.  _ C’mon, these guys are absolute bastards and I know you don’t wanna do anything to make them happy, but put on a damn show. Go big, cuz you can never fucking go home.  _

It was more of a workout now, and Dean was wiping sweat from his forehead by the time he got off the bench altogether. He noticed some shots in the corner for shot put and seized an opportunity. He grabbed one and gauged the weight of it in his hand before winding up and throwing it. He planted his feet out of his turn and watched it land. He jogged after it, stopping next to it and looking back to where he started. A Death Eater approached him. “Roughly 15 meters. Not bad, although I never personally understood the enjoyment Muggles got out of this particular sport.” 

Dean shrugged, breathing heavy. “They can’t do magic. They gotta show off somehow, I guess.” 

The Death Eater raised his eyebrows. “Is that what you’re doing? Showing off? Brute strength won’t get you far in battle with wizards.” 

“Oh, buddy. You’d be surprised how much brute strength can come in handy, especially if somethin’ were to happen to that little wooden stick you carry around.” He jerked his head to Cato. “Tell me, what do you think your odds would be if that guy  _ expelliarmus’d  _ your ass and decided he wanted to use his fists instead?”

The Death Eater seemed to consider both Dean and Cato for a moment, and then shrugged. “I guess they wouldn’t be very good. But it wouldn’t matter, a blood traitor like Cato Chester could never pull something like that off on  _ me.”  _

“Yeah, I don’t get all this ‘blood traitor’ nonsense. He’s a pureblood, same as you. And he seems to be every bit as big of a dick as you lot are, so what gives?” Dean wasn’t really expecting an answer, so he was surprised when he got one.

“Cato Chester was dating a mudblood. He tried to keep it a secret, but his own father ratted him out to Lord Voldemort. It wasn’t an accident that Cato was Chosen. Abraxas Chester begged Voldemort to take Cato, to knock some sense into him and remind him of what happens to people with muggle sympathies.” The Death Eater appeared to become bored with their conversation and walked over to watch Jack Morningstar attempt, and fail, to camouflage himself with paint and leaves. 

Dean’s eyes found Cato.  _ Dating a muggleborn? His own dad ratted him out? Huh, who’d have thought I’d have somethin’ in common with that jackass, apparently neither one of us is allowed to be with who we wanna be with.  _ Cato caught him staring, so Dean flipped him off and moved onto the next station. 

He knew he needed more practice with Potions, but Cass looked busy in front of a tank containing a grindylow and Dean was useless at Potions without him. He walked instead to the armoire that was rattling in the corner of the room. He stopped in front of it, his eyes narrowed as he studied it. “What the --” 

It was Seneca Crane that approached him this time. “It’s a boggart. Have you heard of them?”

“Aren’t those like… creepy, formless things that take the shape of whatever somebody fears the most?” That earned a nod from Crane. “Okay, so what’s the purpose of it bein’ here? You guys wanna see how well we face our fears?” 

“Essentially, yes. Someone incapable of facing their greatest fears won’t last very long in the Arena, and that is not a trait one looks for when selecting someone to sponsor.” Crane eyed the shaking, groaning cabinet as he spoke, but Dean couldn’t take his eyes off of Crane’s beard. 

“Okay, dude, I gotta ask. Why the hell do you cut your beard like that?” 

Crane flashed him a look. “Because it bothers people like  _ you.”  _

Dean scrunched up his nose. “Kinda flattered you think about me when shavin’ your face, but I gotta disappoint you. I don’t date douchebags.” The words were out before Dean could think them through, and he braced himself for an attack that didn’t come. 

Seneca Crane simply sneered. “I might be a douche, but you’ll be a  _ dead  _ douche before the month is out. No one is going to sponsor a worthless, idiotic mudblood like you. You’ve got no hope at all of surviving what’s to come in the Arena, so lay your insults out now while you still can.” Crane seemed to enjoy the temporarily stunned look on Dean’s face as he turned around and made his way back towards the others. 

Dean took one more look at the cabinet, bracing himself to open it and deal with whatever came out at him. He was reaching for the handle when Flickerman’s voice rang out through the room. “That’s enough for today, gather your things.” He laughed, clapping his hands together once. “Who am I kidding, you no longer have possessions! Everything you are and everything you owned now belongs to Lord Voldemort. Now come on, your dinner is already on the table and if you don’t get back in the next 4 minutes, you’ll go hungry.” 

Dean took off at a run back to Flickerman and the PortKey, and sure enough, they barely had enough time to eat a handful of bites before the food was disappearing again. 

“So what now, then?” Sirius looked to Dean, as if Dean had a clue what he was doing. 

“Well, uhh… the jinxes didn’t go so hot last night,” he glared briefly at Alecto, “but I thought maybe we should run over some other spells.  _ Accio, Lumos Maxima, Impervius,  _ shit like that.” 

Jack Morningstar rolled his eyes. “What good is that supposed to do us?” 

Ash Harvelle spoke up from somewhere behind him. “Don’t learn it then, dumbass. Just don’t come crying to us when you get stuck in the dark by yourself.” 

Dean chuckled. “Alright, Ash. Let’s see what you’ve got. Try  _ Lumos.”  _

Ash proudly stepped forward and brandished his wand, saying the incantation. His want erupted in a burst of bright light that filled the room. 

Sirius nodded approvingly. “I wonder how bright we can make it?” He pulled his wand out and added to the light, Finnick and Newt both quickly following suit.

Dean shielded his eyes. “Alright, awesome, we know we can friggen blind someone if needed.  _ Nox  _ it, please.” All four of them did, and the light disappeared. “Good, now Rue, you want to try  _ Impervius?”  _

She looked at him hesitantly but nodded. “I can try, but everyone might want to step back, just in case. Charms isn’t really my strong suit.”

Dean chuckled. “It’s not an attack spell… here.” He walked over to the sink against the wall again and filled up a glass. He was half expecting the water to disappear the way the food did, and was pleased when it didn’t. “I’m gonna dump this on you. The spell, if you do it right, should cause the water to just kinda glide off of you without you actually gettin’ wet. You ready?” 

Rue nodded again slowly and held her wand out. “Yes.”

Dean put his tongue between his teeth as he tossed the water out of the glass and at Rue. 

Rue waited until the water was about to land on her and then said clearly “ _ Impervius!” _

Dean watched as the water did exactly what it was supposed to do. He smiled widely at her. “Hey! Look at you, who said Charms wasn’t your strong suit?” 

She smiled slightly as her face flushed, lowering her wand. “Well, that was an easy spell. That’s all.”

He shook his head and then jerked it towards Cass. “You know he was a sixth year by the time he could pronounce  _ Wingardium Leviosa  _ right?” 

Castiel sighed quietly, crossing his arms but nodding. “It’s true. I still say it incorrectly sometimes.”

Rue giggled and nodded. “That’s why you’re good at Potions, Castiel.”

He raised his eyebrow, but clicked his tongue. “You’re correct, yes. I am better at Potions than Charms.”

“And I’m better at Charms than Potions. We make a perfect pair.” Dean flashed a look in Sirius’s direction. “Say it and I’ll gut you right here.” 

Sirius threw up his hands defensively. “Just the fact that you were thinking it says it all, Winchester. I don’t need to say a damned thing.” 

Dean ignored him and continued. “Alright, anyone else wanna try either of those before we move on? No? Perfect, uhhh… Cato. Why don’t you make your lumbering ass useful and show us how  _ Accio  _ is done?” 

Cato nodded and looked at Dean. “I can do that.”

Dean frowned at the lack of retort to his insult, but gestured for him to step forward. 

Cato cleared his throat. “ _ Accio dickbag!”  _

_ There it is.  _ Dean rolled his eyes, but was highly annoyed by the involuntary tug he felt behind his navel. “Very funny, now you wanna do it right?” 

Cato shrugged. “It was worth a shot.  _ Accio broom!”  _ Nothing happened. 

Dean raised his eyebrows. “Wow, you really suck at this.” 

Cato grinned. “Just wait, Winchester. Hang on.” 

Still, nothing happened. 

“Okay, are we satisfied? Does someone that actually knows how to do the spell wanna give it a tr--” Dean’s words were cut off when a broomstick came crashing through the front window. “What the hell!” 

Cato beamed, obviously satisfied with himself. “It had to come clear from Hogwarts, it’s not surprising it didn’t show up immediately. I’m actually impressed with myself that it got here as fast as it did.” 

“ _ Reparo.”  _ Beetee fixed the broken glass and turned to Cato. “That’s some impressive spellwork. It takes a certain degree of concentration to summon anything that isn’t in eyesight, and you most certainly can’t see Hogwarts from here.” 

Dean made an audible gagging noise. “Yeah, okay, so Cato’s had some practice with the summoning charm, that’s good. Especially now that we have a broom, and we know these windows can break.” He gave Cato a look that hopefully said, ‘you thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’’? 

Cato stared at Dean for a long moment. “You want to escape? Now?” 

Dean shook his head quickly. “No, it’s too soon. But we  _ should  _ keep testing the boundaries of this place, and that was a helluva start. I hate to say it, but good work, man. I’m actually kinda glad you’re here.” 

It was Cato’s turn to try his hand at fake gagging, and Dean rolled his eyes heavily. “Don’t get used to the compliments, bud. I was just surprised you were capable of anything other than grunting and hittin’ shit, that’s all.” 

Finnick yawned loudly from the couch. “Can we be done, or are you not finished with your little Professor/student roleplay?” 

“It is gettin’ a little late, and I only do  _ that  _ roleplay with Cass.” He winked at Finnick, who groaned loudly. “Hey, you walked right into that one, man. Not really my fault.” Dean took a second to enjoy how nice it was to not have to hide anymore. He smiled at Cass and then turned back to the others. “Odair’s right, we should probably turn in. I’m gonna try to get up early tomorrow, maybe get some more practice in before we head back to the training center if any of you guys wanna join. Like I said, I can’t force any of you to do it, but we need every advantage we can get our hands on if we’re gonna make it through this together.” He fixed his eyes on Cato, who actually nodded in response.  _ Maybe he’ll actually be kinda helpful here.  _

Rue smiled hopefully. “Perhaps we can try out the pool tomorrow?”

Dean shifted his gaze to her. “Yeah, there’s all sorts of water-related spells we can try, and it might be nice to just unwind for a bit.” He smiled, walking over to mess up her hair. “Good thinkin’, kiddo.” 

This time, Rue caught his hand before he could achieve his goal, grinning. “Thanks.”

Dean nodded and sucked in a breath as he turned to the others. “Well go on then, get some sleep guys. See your ugly mugs bright and early.” 

One by one they trickled out, heading to their rooms. Dean turned to Cass. “Wanna hang out here for a bit before we turn in?” 

Castiel nodded and watched the other people disappear, before turning to Dean and nodding. “I don’t see why not.”

Dean magically lit the fire in the fireplace next to the couch and sat down, draping one of his arms over the back of the couch. “C’mere, then. I wanna talk to you about somethin’.” 

Castiel tilted his head but moved beside Dean, leaning into his side. “What’s up?”

“You okay? After last night, I mean. I know that neither one of us had really… _gone there_ before, and I uhh… I dunno. You good?” Dean shifted on the couch, suddenly nervous to hear the answer. 

Castiel turned so he was facing Dean, placing his hand on the side of Dean’s face. “I’m great, Dean. I - I’m happy.  _ Really _ happy. Are you alright?”

Dean let out a breath as he nodded. “Yeah, I mean, it’s kinda fucked up what with the whole ‘impending deathmatch thing’ and whatever, but yeah. I guess all things considered, I’m happy too. I wish it’d happened under different circumstances, but hey. If we manage to survive this… we’re gonna have one helluva story to tell.” 

Castiel nodded and moved again, leaning back into Dean’s side, his voice coming out in barely a whisper. “What about your dad?”

Dean watched the flames over Cass’s head and wrapped his arm across his torso. “What about him? Chances are, I’m never gonna see him again, so what’s it really matter at this point? Even if we do find a way to live through this, he’ll probably just be pissed at me for not dyin’ right either.” 

Castiel interlocked their fingers. “Thank you.”

He squinted at the top of Cass’s head. “For what?” 

“Everything, Dean. For being comfortable enough with yourself to let yourself be happy. For organizing all of us here, giving everyone hope.” He breathed out and squeezed Dean’s hand. “Just, thank you.”

A thousand arguments ran through Dean’s mind, but he didn’t voice any of them. He kissed the top of Cass’s head. “You’re welcome. I know that most, if not all, of the hope is false, but hey. There’s always a chance, right? If there’s a way for all of us to get  _ in,  _ there has to be a way for all of us to get  _ out. _ ” He paused, and was suddenly desperate to change the subject. “I found out something interesting about our resident meathead today.” 

Castiel cleared his throat and opened his eyes, squinting against the flames. “Which… uh… which one?”

“Cato. Turns out, he’s in love with a girl. And not just any girl… a girl with very, very Muggle parents. That’s why he’s here. His dad friggen sold him out to Voldemort.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he sat up from Dean, looking at him. “Seriously?”

Dean nodded, adjusting his position on the couch. “Yeah. Looks like I’m not the only one around here with daddy issues. I don’t think Cato’s really as big of a jerk as he wants us to think. That’s why I kinda lightened up on him today.” 

Castiel frowned. “Now I feel bad for being mean to him.” He laid his head down again.

“Don’t,” Dean chuckled. “He’s still a dick, but there’s a chance he’s a dick that might end up helpin’ us instead of hurtin’ us. We just gotta give him the right motivation.” 

Castiel nodded and looked to Dean. “Tomorrow, can you help me with Charms? I can help you with potions again.”

“Course, Cass. Whatever you need.” He squeezed him gently. “Now come on, let’s head to bed. I wanna try that  _ thing  _ again. 

Castiel grinned and stood, pulling Dean to the bedroom with him.


	17. We Gotta Get Out of This Place

**_Castiel: Day Three_ **

“Cass.” Castiel moved slightly, keeping his eyes closed before he heard the voice again. “Cass, you gotta wake up.”

Castiel felt Dean kiss him gently, which in turn woke Castiel up even more, but he kept his eyes closed, trying to pretend he was asleep still.

Dean laughed quietly and slid his hand down Cass’s torso, biting his earlobe. He let go but kept his face there as he growled, “I know you’re awake, angel.” 

Castiel shivered involuntarily, keeping his eyes closed. He spoke sleepily, mumbling. “I’m not.”

“Mmhm. Maybe you just need better motivation.” Dean moved, grabbing both of Cass’s hands and pinning them to the bed, forcing him flat on his back in the process. He kissed a line down his chest. “You awake now?” 

Castiel let out a soft, sleepy moan, tilting his head to the side. “No, I don’t think so.”

Dean trailed a line of wet kisses down further and bit the waistband of his pajama pants, pulling it out and letting it snap against his waist. “How about  _ now?”  _

He gasped and bent one of his legs, squirming around. “I-” He nodded, biting his lip. “Mm, yes.”

Dean dragged his lips back up Cass’s body and kissed him on the lips. “Good, now take a cold shower, Novak. It’s time to get back to work.” He pulled back, sliding off of the bed and was already fully dressed. 

Cass whined quietly and didn’t move for a long moment. He eventually kicked his legs up to help him sit up and slid out of bed. He grabbed his towel off the heap on the floor and grumpily made his way into the bathroom to shower. “Save me some breakfast!”

There was a brief rattling noise followed by, “what the -- oh, right…  _ alohamora!”  _ accompanied by a triumphant “hah!” and then everything was silent again. 

Castiel raised his eyebrow and took a  _ very _ cold shower, turning the water off when he was finished. He wrapped the towel around his waist and peeked his head out of the bathroom door. “Hello?”

The bedroom was empty, which meant Dean must have already gone out to the meeting room to wait for breakfast. 

Castiel frowned but left the bathroom, opening the dresser and rummaging through it for clothes. He grabbed some jeans and a t-shirt, dropping his towel and getting dressed quickly. He looked around for his wand and found it laying on the ground as it usually was. He sighed and picked it up, tucking it into his waistband before walking out to the meeting room.

“...a ton of shit that could be helpful, I just don’t know it all. Would it kill you to offer something useful?” Dean was talking to Jack, who didn’t appear to be paying attention at all. 

Castiel grumbled but walked over to Dean, looking to Jack. “What’s going on?”

“Oh,  _ Morningstar  _ here doesn’t seem to think our lessons have been helpful. I was tryin’ to suggest that if he had a better idea, I’d love to fuckin’ hear it but I’m pretty sure he’s off in his own little world right now.” Dean glanced towards the still-empty table and sighed. “They’re takin’ their sweet ass time with breakfast today, that’s for sure.” 

Castiel followed Dean’s glance and then snapped his fingers in front of Jack’s face. “Hello? Earth to Jack?”

Jack looked startled for a moment and then made eye contact with Cass, grinning slowly. “Oh, hello. When did you get here?” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “Oh for fuck’s sake.” 

Cass shook his head slightly, rolling his eyes. “Don’t worry about it, Jack. Go find something better to do.”

Jack nodded, still smiling as he turned around and wandered off in the opposite direction. Dean shook his head and muttered, “that kid’s attention span is gonna be the fuckin’ death of us all.” 

Castiel sighed and moved to the couch, sitting down just as breakfast appeared. He leaned back, knowing it was always a death zone as soon as the food appeared.

Luckily for him, Dean wasn’t afraid to fight for his food. He bumped shoulders with Sirius and Cato a few times before walking over to Cass with two plates full of food in his hands. “Here, eat it quick before it friggen vanishes.” He handed one plate to Cass and sat down with the other, eating quickly.

Castiel smiled slightly and took the plate, beginning to eat as well. “Thank you, Dean.”

Dean nodded but didn’t speak, probably entirely too aware of how precious these mealtimes had become because they don’t have any other opportunity for food. 

Castiel wasn’t really hungry, so when Dean’s plate was empty he handed him his plate as well, sipping his orange juice. “I think it’s almost time, eat fast.”

Dean frowned, picking up a piece of toast and putting it to Cass’s mouth. “You’ve barely eaten since we got here, and it’s not gonna be any better in Purgatory. You need to eat while you can. Please don’t fight me on this.” 

He took the toast and ate it to appease Dean, smiling. “I’m fine, Dean.”

“You know who says they’re fine? People that ain’t friggen fine.” 

“I’m just not much in the mood to eat, that’s all.” Castiel shrugged, leaning back on the couch again. 

“Yeah, I get that, but it’s not really an ‘in the mood’ thing, man. It’s a ‘how fast am I gonna starve to death in Purgatory’ kinda thing.” Dean reached forward to hand Cass another piece of toast right as it all disappeared. He huffed. “Fine, but you’re eatin’ dinner tonight or I’m gonna find someone else to bunk with.” 

Castiel grinned, clicking his tongue. “Oh yes, I’m sure Beetee needs a roommate. Or perhaps Cato?”

Dean flashed him an innocent smile. “I was thinkin’ more like Finnick, he’s prettier.” 

He rolled his eyes and nudged Dean, standing up. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

Dean laughed and stood up as well, looking to everyone. “Alright, we’ve only got a little bit before Dumb and Dumber come for us. Anything in particular you guys wanna work on before Day Three?” 

Everyone looked blankly at each other, Castiel turning to Rue. “We won’t have enough time to use the pool before they come for us, we’ll do it later, okay?”

Rue nodded and sat down. “Okay.”

Dean nodded to himself. “Alright then, I guess we’ll just wait here. They should be here any minute.” 

Sure enough, not five minutes passed before Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane landed in the middle of the room. “Chop chop, let’s not waste valuable training time.” Flickerman held out the two PortKeys and everyone scrambled to touch one. 

Castiel was used to landing now and didn’t stumble anymore, looking around the all too familiar room. He sighed quietly and looked at Dean. “Alright, well, I know absolutely nothing about muggle training or muggle weapons, perhaps we should start there.”

Dean led Cass over to the weapons table and picked up a longsword. He handed it to Cass and picked up one of his own. “We’ll learn together… apparently this might be a thing over there. I’ve got some experience with a machete, but not one of these bad boys.” He fell into what appeared to be the sloppiest attack stance Cass had ever seen, but Dean was raising the sword and grinning. “On guard!” 

Castiel chuckled, watching him. “What the hell are you doing?”

Dean frowned. “I’m gonna sword fight you. And not the way we did --” His eyes darted around the room and landed back on Cass, his cheeks flushing. “Just swing the damn thing at me. Pretend you’re a pirate or a knight or somethin’. Or maybe a Jedi, pretend its a lightsaber.” 

“Pretend it’s a  _ what _ saber?” Castiel raised his eyebrows.

Dean’s frown deepened. “A lightsaber, Cass, y’know…  _ whooosh.”  _ Dean was swinging the sword side to side at chest height as he continued making bizarre sound effects. 

Castiel stepped back, flinching slightly. “Did you manage to hide firewhiskey somewhere and not mention it to me?”

“Firewh-- I’m not  _ drunk,  _ Cass. I’m just…” He huffed, lowering the sword. “Fine, pick a damn weapon then.” 

Castiel picked up another sword and smiled at Dean. “No, let’s…  _ on guard _ or whatever you said.”

“That’s not the name of it, Cass, you’re literally telling someone to be on their guard cuz you’re about to swing a fuckin’ metal death stick at them.” He shook his head, but raised his sword again.

“Metal death stick?” Cass frowned. “I thought it was a sword.”

Dean groaned, tossing the sword back on the table. “Guns it is. Pick one.” 

Castiel frowned but set the sword down carefully, leaning over to pick up a medium sized gun. “This one.”

Dean eyed it and nodded, grabbing a similar one off the table. “Awesome, now just do what I do. Before you shoot one, you need to understand how it works.” Dean stood close to Cass and moved slowly, allowing him time to copy the movements as Dean stripped the gun down to its parts.

Castiel squinted, eyeing the different parts. “Okay, now what?”

“Now, we’re gonna see how well you were paying attention. Put it back together.” Dean set the skeleton of his gun down and crossed his arms, leaning backwards on the table. 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he looked to Dean, clearing his throat. “Right, put it back together. I can handle that.” 

Dean spoke as Castiel started putting it back together. “You can technically use one without understanding the finer points to it, but my dad always told me if I wanted to get a gun to do what I want, I had to get to know it first. He compared it to women, but I was like eight at the time so I didn’t really get it. Anyway, guns can jam and do all sorts of other shit to trip you up, so it’s best to understand how it actually works in case you gotta fix it in a pinch.” 

Castiel nodded in agreement. “That makes sense. Not the women part, but the fixing it part.”Rue came bounding over, holding a handful of plants. She looked at Dean, tilting her head. “Lift your shirt up.”

Dean frowned at her for a moment before looking to the plants she had in her hand. A grin slowly spread across his face. “No, you get that dittany away from me. If I’m gonna be dead soon, my skin’s gonna tell one helluva story. I think I’ll keep the scars.” He paused, then added, “but I gotta say, I’m really impressed with you for thinkin’ about that. Gettin’ rid of scars isn’t the use dittany’s most known for, you gotta really know your shit to know that.” 

She grinned almost proudly, nodding to Dean. “Alright, fine.” 

Castiel watched as Rue skipped off, back to the Herbology table. “She’s going to have to learn more than just plants, as helpful as plants are.”

Dean shook his head. “Nah, let her go. She’s got us for the rest of this shit, and havin’ someone on the team that  _ really  _ knows Herbology is gonna be really helpful. She’s gonna be the one that stops my dumb ass from eating poisonous berries or some shit.” 

Castiel laughed quietly and nodded. “Yes, that’s fair.” He looked over at Rue again, sighing quietly. “I didn’t know she was going to be Chosen, or I wouldn’t have volunteered for Charlie Bradbury and done it for Rue instead. She doesn’t deserve to be here.”

Dean glanced at him. “None of us do. Now come on, we’ve got more work to do. You got that gun back together yet?” 

Castiel looked down at the multiple pieces in his hands and cleared his throat, turning to Dean. “Uh, yes. It looks good, right? Usable?”

Dean blinked at it. “Cass… where you gonna put the bullets if the chamber isn’t put back together?” 

Castiel frowned but furrowed his eyebrows and pushed his tongue between his teeth as he set the gun down on the table and reassembled it, looking to Dean afterwards. “Better?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, but can you do it again? Strip it down and put it back together?” 

“I- perhaps?” Cass sort of fumbled with the gun until it was in pieces again, noticing a piece he  _ swore _ wasn’t there the first time, but managing to put it all together again. 

Dean had watched him closely and nodded approvingly now that he was done. “Awesome, now I’m gonna show you how to load it. We’ve only got rubber bullets, but it works the same in terms of gettin’ it ready to shoot.” He showed him how to load it and then handed it back to him. “Now unload it and reload it, then do it one more time.” 

Castiel shrugged slightly but unloaded it quite easily, before reloading it with the rubber bullets. “I saw you shoot this at Flickerman yesterday.”

Dean chewed on his lip. “Yeah, not my finest moment. I really shouldn’t have done that, it was just… he was there, and the dude ticks me off.” 

Castiel laughed a little bit. “Yes, me as well.” He showed Dean the gun once it was loaded properly, and once he got the nod of approval he repeated his actions.

“There, I’ve done it twice. Now what?”

“Now, if you think you’re confident enough in how it functions, you can shoot it. When you do, don’t pull the trigger.  _ Squeeze  _ it, with your whole hand.” Dean mimicked the motion in the air. “Slowly, okay? It’s not a race, and the more controlled your hand is, the more controlled the shot’s gonna be. Now show me how you’re gonna move your hand.” 

Castiel raised the gun but didn’t move his hand to the trigger, showing Dean his intended  _ squeezing _ motion.

“Good. Now, you wanna aim, breathe out, and  _ then  _ squeeze right as you’re at the end of the breath. You got that?” Dean took a step behind him. 

Castiel nodded. “What am I aiming at?”

“As long as it ain’t a person or Flickerman’s hat, I don’t care. There are targets that way if you want something normal.” He pointed over Cass’s shoulder to a line of targets. 

“That’s probably a good place to start.” He turned to the targets and raised the gun, aiming carefully. He kept his eyes focused on the target as he took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, then squeezed the trigger.

The rubber bullet smacked off the side of the target, narrowly missing the circle. Dean chuckled behind him. “Not bad at all for the first time you ever shot one. Then again, after the  _ other  _ first time performance, I’m not surprised. Try it again though, you pulled a little to the right.” 

Castiel looked down to hopefully hide how red he was, taking a moment to compose his flustered self. Once he had done that he repeated his actions, squeezing the trigger slowly, but was so focused on not pulling to the right he braced his feet incorrectly, jerking his body to the left. He watched the bullet and grimaced, looking back at Dean. “Don’t say anything, I know, I know.”

Dean stepped up behind him, sliding his hands down Cass’s arms until they were both holding the gun, Dean’s chin on Cass’s shoulder. He used his foot to maneuver Cass’s feet back into a proper position and then pressed his chest to Cass’s back. “You can do it, angel. Just focus. Pretend like the center of that target is the only thing stoppin’ you and me from spendin’ a whole day locked in that bedroom.” 

Castiel’s heartbeat sped up as he closed his eyes, now desperately trying to ignore Dean’s body against his. After opening his eyes he aimed again, adjusting his grip on the gun. He took a deep breath and then blew it out slowly, squeezing his entire hand around the trigger.

Dean nipped at his neck when the bullet smacked against the center of the target. He took a step back from Castiel and started clapping, drawing the attention of two Death Eaters as well as Finnick and Sirius. “He  _ can  _ be taught!”

Finnick rolled his eyes and Sirius came over to them. “Why are you playing with metal death wands?” 

It was Dean’s turn to laugh. “Cuz Cass didn’t wanna play with the metal death  _ sticks.”  _

Cass’s whole body felt like it was on fire and he quickly set the gun down, shivering. “Those were guns, not wands.”

Sirius looked at Cass like he’d never seen anything like him before. “I know what they were… they’re basically the muggle equivalent to a death wand -- y’know what… nevermind.” Sirius turned to Dean. “I don’t know how you deal with explaining your jokes to him all the time, you’re not that funny to begin with and when you gotta explain it…  _ yeesh _ .” 

Dean just shrugged. “I like him, he’s uhh… kind of adorably awkward. Half the time I swear to god he’s gotta be just fuckin’ with me, anyway.” 

Castiel didn’t know whether to be flattered or offended, so he just stood there with an awkward half smile. “Yes.”

Dean snorted and Sirius shook his head. “You two were made for each other. You’re two halves of a whole fucking idiot.” Sirius grinned, playfully punching Dean in the arm. “You planning on trying anything else today or are you going to keep playing with your  _ metal death wands?”  _

Castiel looked to Dean, but shrugged. “Dean won’t let me play with the metal death sticks so I suppose so.”

Sirius chuckled as Dean’s eyes widened. “Let you! Cass I tried like six friggen times! You kept goin’ all ‘I don’t understand that reference’ on me.” Dean looked at Sirius, reaching his hand out. “Hey, if I held up a sword and said ‘on guard,’ what are you gonna do?” 

Sirius didn’t miss a beat. “Pirates or Jedi’s?” 

“Hah!” Dean looked at Cass. “See, he gets it. Play with  _ him.”  _

Castiel squinted, looking between them both. “Sirius, are you sure it’s not  _ you two _ who are the two halves that create a whole idiot?”

Sirius grinned widely. “No, we’re two halves of a whole  _ moron,  _ there’s a distinct difference. Right, Dean?” 

Dean nodded vigorously. “Mmhm, he’s got a point. Sirius is definitely more moron than idiot, and I’m a healthy mix of both.” 

Castiel’s head was spinning as he looked between them again. “Right, okay.”

One of the Death Eaters that had been lurking in the corner approached them now. “Are you three quite finished? This is supposed to be a training room, not a place for gossip and screwing around.” 

Dean fake bowed. “Sorry, your majesty. All work, no play. Got it.” 

Sirius copied Dean’s bow to a T. “Highness, deepest apologies.” 

Castiel just watched them and then looked to the Death Eater, not saying anything. He just stared at him and tilted his head for a long moment, before he spoke. “What’s your name?”

The Death Eater glared at Castiel. “I don’t believe that’s any of your concern, but if you must know… my name is Severus Snape.” 

Still in their mock bows, both Sirius and Dean burst out into laughter. 

Castiel looked to them, eyebrows furrowed before looking back at Severus Snape. “I don’t understand what they find humorous.”

Snape looked down his nose at them. “I imagine almost everything in their tiny lives is humorous to them… their minds are too small to comprehend anything else.” He turned and walked away with an almost aggressive swish of his cloak.

Dean stood up straight and looked between Cass and Sirius. “Honestly, these guys couldn’t be easier to hate if they paid me in pie to do it. We all know we’re dead meat, so what if we wanna let off a little steam while we still can?”

Castiel nodded slightly in agreement. “I don’t know. Do you think those are what the winners become?”

Dean frowned at the prospect, and so did Sirius. “I’d rather not think about it, but yeah… probably.” 

Castiel shuddered at the thought and backed up. “Right.”

Sirius looked around. “I’m gonna go see if Luna will teach me that weird ass thing she’s doing with the rope, I’ll see you guys later.” He turned and jogged over to the trapping station, leaving Cass alone with Dean again. 

“Well, you’ve got a decent enough grip on guns. There’s honestly not much to learn when it comes to swords, the main thing I think would just be balance and the stamina to keep swingin’ the thing. Oh, and some kinda talent at guessing your opponent’s next move, but that kinda goes along with any kind of weapon.” Dean looked around, chewing on his lip. “You wanna try anything else?” 

Castiel looked around as well, nodding slightly. “First of all, that was  _ extremely  _ rude, what you did earlier. Second… I don’t think so. Is there anything you want to learn?”

Dean looked genuinely confused. “I was rude?” 

He turned to him, squinting. “Yes, you were rude. With the gun thing, when I hit the target. I can’t exactly take a cold shower here.”

“Yeah, but repeat that phrase back to yourself. You hit the target, which was the purpose of the whole damn exercise. It takes most people way longer to even get half as close, so technically… I did you a favour, and favours aren’t rude.” Dean crossed his arms and nodded matter-of-factly. 

Castiel shook his head. “Yes, but- but-” He sighed, shivering. “Nevermind.” Cass grinned and stepped towards him, kissing him quickly. “The shower thing this morning was rude too.”

“Ehh, what can I say. I’m a tease. I’m sure you’ll find ways to punish me later.” He smirked, then turned towards Caesar and Seneca. “Hey! We goin’ back anytime soon, I’m starving!” 

Castiel bit his lip because a rush of sorts shot to his core, but it was taken away very quickly when Seneca spoke. “Are you…  _ misfits _ done?”

Around the room, several sweaty, tired kids nodded. Dean watched them all and then looked back to Crane. “Yeah, we’re pretty done. You think you can stop the food from disappearing tonight though? Turns out I like a little bit of a midnight snack.” 

Crane sighed. “It is day three, isn’t it? Alright, fine. Tonight, and  _ only _ tonight will the food remain overnight. The lot of you, for the most part, have been  _ decent _ .”

Dean’s shoulders slumped so slightly Cass wouldn’t have noticed if he wasn’t standing right next to him, but Dean quickly straightened back up. “Alright then, yeah. Give us those PortKeys and we’ll be on our way.” 

“You know, Mr. Winchester, most people say  _ thank you _ when things are given to them.” Seneca held out a PortKey as Flickerman stood and did the same. “Hurry up, all of you.”

Dean grabbed the one in Flickerman’s hand and muttered, “I ain’t most people.”

Castiel swallowed hard and noted the tone of defiance in Dean’s voice but stayed quiet, grabbing ahold of the PortKey.

**_Dean: Day Four_ **

He groaned as he woke up and rolled onto his side. He opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light coming in through the window as Cass was snoring quietly next to him.  _ Today’s the day, Winchester. If we’re gonna escape, we need to do it now. You can do this, it’s gonna be a helluva lot easier to get past some dementors than it’s gonna be to get twelve fuckin’ people out of Purgatory. Just get up, act like you know what the hell you’re doing, and get these people out of here before it’s too late. _

He slid out of bed, careful not to disturb Cass yet. He knew he needed the kind of help that Cass couldn’t give him, so he quickly got dressed and tiptoed out of the bedroom. He walked down the hall and around the corner to the second set of rooms and knocked quietly on the center door. He heard a grunt and some shuffling before the door finally swung open, revealing a half-asleep Cato. 

“The fuck do you want, Winchester? It’s like four in the morning.” Cato’s words were slurred from sleep but his tone was unmistakably pissed. 

“Listen, I don’t wanna be here anymore than you  _ want  _ me to be here, but I need your help. Now move, lemme in.” Dean didn’t wait for Cato’s mind to catch up with the command. He pushed past him and headed into his room, walking over the window and looking outside. He couldn’t see much in the dark, but he was able to make out a few rough, almost shimmering outlines. 

“You have thirty seconds to tell me why you’re in my room in the middle of the night, or I’m going to finish what Carrow started.” Cato shut the door, leaning back against it and crossing his arms. 

Dean narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. “You and me need to figure out how to jailbreak the rest of these kids outta here.” 

“ _ What? _ ” was the only response he received from Cato.

“Look man, neither one of us wanna die here. I know that, you know that, everyone friggen knows that. So drop the fuckin’ tough guy act and level with me here. Do you wanna get back to Sarah or not?” Dean was taking a shot in the dark, using the name of the only girl he’d ever seen Cato with. 

Cato looked livid, and with three quick steps he was pinning Dean to the wall with his forearm.  _ Bingo. _ “Watch your fuckin’ mouth, Winchester.”

Dean had been prepared for this - at least, as prepared as anyone ever is to get thrown up against a wall. “Like it or not, I know about you and her. I also know your pops sold you out to Lord Voldemort, and that it’s  _ bullshit.  _ I might not like you very much, but even I think you deserve to be with whoever the fuck you wanna be with. So I’m gonna ask you again.” Dean pushed a startled Cato back a step, freeing himself from the wall and creating some space between them. “Do you wanna get out of this death trap or not?” 

Cato looked almost constipated as he tried to process what Dean just said. “How did you -- nevermind, it doesn’t matter how you knew. Why the fuck would I trust you? You’re a mudblood and Gryffindor, you’re probably just trying to get me to do something stupid so you can knock out the competition.” 

That earned an eye roll from Dean, which was about the most polite response he could muster. “Yeah, okay. So my parents weren’t magical. So I’m not a Slytherin. Believe it or not, you and I have a lot in common.” At the incredulous look on Cato’s face, Dean added, “trust me, man. No one was more surprised than me. But let’s unpack this for a second. First of all, you’re in love with a friggen mudblood, so you don’t get to use that against me. Second of all, a fucking  _ hat  _ put me in Gryffindor, I didn’t choose it anymore than you chose Slytherin or any of us chose to be here. Fourth of all… wait, this is third.  _ Third  _ of all…” Dean paused for a moment, furrowing his brow. “Shit, I forgot what the third thing was. Oh hell with it, point is that you’re not the only one that disappointed your daddy when you didn’t turn out to be everything he hoped you would. My dad  _ hunts  _ people like me, and nearly beat me to death when he found out his strapping young man wasn’t strictly into chicks. I get it, man. Probably better than anybody else here, I  _ get  _ it. Now, I’m comin’ to you for help with this cuz you’re smarter than you look -- which isn’t really sayin’ a whole lot, but hey - the Slytherins won’t follow me, but they’ll follow  _ you,  _ and we need all twelve of us fully on board if we stand a friggen snowball’s chance in Hades of gettin’ outta here in one piece.” Dean paused again to take another deep, shuddering breath. 

“You done, Winchester? Or are you going to keep word vomiting until I tell you what you want to hear?” 

Dean shrugged. “Honestly, I’m prepared for either outcome, man. You tell me. All I know is that I care about these kids, all of ‘em. Hell, even you, you giant douche.”

“Yeah, I’m not buying it. I’m not falling into whatever trap you’re trying to set for me, because you’re right - I  _ am  _ smarter than I look.” Cato seemed to realize too late that he’d inadvertently insulted himself, which just seemed to piss him off more. 

Dean knew he had to be brutally honest if he had any hope of getting Cato on his side. Everything he’d said was true so far; he had no intention of double-crossing Cato and he wanted everyone to get out. But Cato was too much like Dean himself, so Dean switched tactics. “Look, okay. I know you and I got off on the wrong foot and just stayed that way, but things are different now. You ever hear of mutually assured destruction?” 

Cato nodded, looking confused more than angry for the first time this entire conversation. Dean took that as a good sign and pressed on. “You said you think I’m trying to weed out the competition, make it easier for myself to win. Have you not been paying attention? There’s only room for one on the train outta Purgatory, and in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve got more than one person here. Sirius has been my best friend since I first set foot in King’s Cross. Newt and Finnick too, I’d die myself before I let anything happen to either one of them. And little Rue? You honestly think I’m  _ that  _ fucked up of a person that I’d sacrifice her to save my own skin?” 

Cato didn’t respond, he just raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms as if he was waiting for Dean to say something he hadn’t yet. 

Dean rolled his eyes. “And yeah, I’m in love with Cass. Okay? Congratulations, you’re officially the first one I told. Maybe now we should braid each other’s hair and watch the fucking Princess Bride.” Dean watched Cato’s arms unfold and his stance relax, and heat flared in Dean’s cheeks when he realized he’d really,  _ truly  _ told the closest thing he had to an enemy here what his biggest weakness was.  _ It wasn’t a fucking secret, anyone with half a fucking brain can see it. You’ve almost got him, don’t quit.  _ “Let me bottom line this for you. There are 5 people here other than myself that I can’t lose. That’s six altogether. Six people, and a one-person portal. We’ll never make it out of Purgatory. Which means we can’t ever  _ go  _ to Purgatory. You get me? Luckily for you, I like the sound of my own voice, so I’m gonna repeat myself one more goddamn time. I’ll even say it nice and slow so your little brain can keep up. Will. You. Help. Me. Get everybody the fuck outta here?” 

Cato shrugged. “Sure, why not? What’s the worst they can do, kill us? We’re all dead either way.” 

Dean gaped. “You were gonna agree the whole fucking time.” 

“Mmhm.” Cato nodded once, a look of self-satisfaction on his face. “Next time, maybe you’ll wait till the sun’s up before barging into my room and making demands. I’ll talk to the Slytherins and the Ravenclaws, you take the other two Houses.” 

Dean grinned despite himself. In his inexperienced mind, getting Cato to agree had seemed like the hardest part of his plan.  _ It’s smooth sailin’ from here on out. We’re goin’ home.  _

Dean briefly filled Cato in on the plan, and he nodded his approval. 

“Not bad, Winchester. Let’s fuck shit up.” 

\-----------------------

Dean woke Sirius and Finnick up next, bringing them into his and Cass’s room to fill them in. He made them wait outside while he went in.

“Cass?” Dean approached the bed, eagerness in his voice. “Cass, you up?” 

Castiel rolled over to face Dean and blinked his eyes open, squinting. “What time is it?”

“It’s early, angel, but I need you to get up and get dressed.” Dean’s voice was urgent but excited, and he went to the dresser and grabbed some clothes for Cass. He tossed them on the bed. “C’mon, Finn and Sirius are outside.” 

Castiel stretched and sat up, yawning as he spoke. “What’s the rush?”

“The rush is that we’re gettin’ the fuck outta here, but we gotta do it before breakfast. Now come on, man, put some damn pants on or I’m just gonna let them in anyway.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he grabbed the pants. Throwing the blanket off of him he pulled the pants on quickly. “What the hell do you mean?”

Dean was already at the door, flinging it open again. “Sirius, Finn, hurry up. We don’t have a lot of time.” 

A very confused looking Finnick walked in, nodding to the still half-naked Castiel. “Good uhh… good morning.” 

Sirius, on the other hand, looked just as excited as Dean. His eyes were dancing as he closed the door behind them and looked to Dean. “What’s the plan, mon capitan?” 

Dean looked at Cass. “You good? You awake enough for this? I’ve only got time to explain it once.” 

Castiel pulled the blankets around himself but nodded. “I’m awake. What’s going on?”

Dean let out a breath to try to slow himself down.  _ Here goes nothin’.  _ “Okay, so do you guys remember how Cato summoned that broom clear from fuckin’ Hogwarts and it smashed through the window in the meeting room?” 

Sirius nodded quickly, looking almost like a puppy that was about to get a treat.

Finnick crossed his arms and leaned against the door, watching Dean. “Yeah, what’s your point?”

Dean licked his lip. “My point, my narrow-minded friend, is that when he did that, not only did he  _ break a window to the outside,  _ but he also  _ summoned a fucking broom.  _ A broom that  _ flies. _ The answer has been starin’ us in the face since day fucking one. We summon brooms, and we fly outta here out through the broken windows. Sayonara, dickbags, not today.” Dean nodded once, as if this was the simplest plan in the history of plans. 

Castiel blinked, tilting his head. “Death Eater’s are  _ surrounding  _ this place, Dean. They’ll kill us all as soon as they catch sight of us.”

Dean shook his head quickly. “No, Cass, they won’t. Think about all the shit we’ve said and done since we got here. All the reasons  _ I’ve  _ given them to just kill me. They won’t do it, they need all of us in the Games or their whole thing goes kaput. Yeah, it might not be the most airtight master plan, but do you have a better one? And even if they do kill some of us, eleven of us are marked for death anyway and the twelfth is gonna become Voldemort’s fucking lap dog. As for me… I’ll take my chances tryin’ to get outta this house versus tryin’ to get outta Purgatory.” 

Finnick clicked his tongue but pushed himself up from his leaning position. “Winchester’s got a point, guys. They kill us now, they won’t have their necessities for the games this year. They can’t really do anything to us.”

Sirius spoke up. “You think anyone’s ever tried to escape before?” 

Dean shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Oh, and did I neglect to mention the best part? I got fuckin’  _ Cato  _ on our side.” 

“I’m failing to see how that’s the ‘best part’, Dean. The guy’s an asshole.” Sirius rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, but he’s an asshole the other Slytherins listen to. At the very least, we just added three extra distractions to this escape attempt in the event the Death Eaters do come after us.” 

Finnick raised his eyebrows. “You really think we can trust him?”

Dean nodded, making sure he showed no signs of reluctance. “Yeah, it’s kind of a long story, but I do. I trust him, at least in this. He wants to get home every bit as much as we do.” 

Castiel took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, nodding once. “Alright, Dean. I trust you. I’m on board with this plan.”

Dean would be lying if he said he wasn’t relieved. “Alright, good. Cato’s talking to the Ravenclaws and the Slytherins, but someone’s gonna need to tell Newt and Rue. Cass, can you handle that? I’m gonna take Sirius and Finnick and see if we can sneak up to the roof, get a better look at what’s around us and how many we’re dealing with. Brooms up in thirty, yeah?” 

Castiel chewed his lip but nodded, throwing the blankets off of him. “Yes, I can manage that. What if they don’t agree?”

“If Rue doesn’t agree, let me know. I swear to god I’ll find the most humane way to knock a person out and throw her on my broom with me. I’m not leavin’ here without her. As for Newt… just tell him Groot misses him. He won’t fight you.” Dean looked to Finnick and Sirius, then grabbed his wand off the table by the bed he and Cass shared.

Cass nodded, standing up. “Alright, then. Brooms up in thirty.” He left the bedroom, disappearing down the hallway quickly.

\----------------------

A few minutes later, Dean, Sirius and Finnick were making their way up to the roof of the house. They had ascended the ladder to the attic and were discussing the best way to get to the actual roof from the inside - the small, circular window or the trap door that would undoubtedly make a lot of noise when it dropped open. 

“Alright, Sirius, come with me.” Dean positioned himself with his back to Finnick, hoping he picked the spot where he’d be able to catch the door as it fell open instead of letting it swing wildly. Sirius moved next to him and copied his stance. “Okay, now magic the damn thing open.” 

“ _ Alohamora!”  _ The trap door swung open, smacking against Dean and Sirius’s backs. “For the love of --” Sirius grunted. “Why the hell does a roof hatch need to be so fucking --  _ big!”  _ He moved out from behind it once it settled, and Dean shrugged. 

“Probably so they’d hear if someone tried to open it. Now come on, we gotta hurry before the sun starts comin’ up or they’ll see us up there. Finn, gimme a boost, would ya? I don’t see a ladder anywhere.” Dean stood in front of Finnick, expecting him to bend down and physically lift Dean, but instead he pointed his wand and Dean and whispered, “ _ Wingardium Leviosa!”  _

Dean’s limbs flailed wildly for a second and he fought back the nervous ‘aaah’s’ that were bubbling inside of him. He hissed, “damnit, Odair, I don’t think this spell is meant for hu-” 

Dean shut himself up as his head lifted out of the hole in the roof, and he grabbed onto the shingles. He heaved himself up as quietly as he could and then rolled, crouching down and scanning the rooftop. He silently breathed out, relieved that there weren’t dementors or Death Eaters up there. He peeked back in the hole to see Sirius and Finnick looking up with worried faces. “We’re clear, guys. C’mon.” 

Dean spun, nearly crawling towards the edge of the roof as he heard two muffled thumps signalling that his friends had joined him. He let his eyes adjust to the dark for a few moments and then started searching for possible obstacles. 

Sirius appeared beside him, his face clearly flushed even in the dim light of the moon. He whispered, “see anything?” 

Dean held a finger to his lips and then pointed it almost directly below him. There, stationed outside the front door, were two dementors. “Explains the chill in the air and the generally shitty morale around here,” he muttered. 

A quick sweep of the roof alerted them to the heavy presence of dementors, but no Death Eaters could be seen. Dean signaled for everyone to head back down into the house, and one by one they dropped through the trap door and landed with soft thuds on the attic floor. It took some effort, but they managed to close and lock the roof hatch once more. 

Sirius let out a breath. “You count six?” 

“Seven,” Finnick corrected. “One was a little farther out, but he was there.” 

Dean nodded. “Yep, I clocked seven too. This is good, even if every single one of those fuckers manages to get their lifeless fuckin’ paws on us, five of us are still home free.” 

With that said, Dean did something he thought he’d never do. He said goodbye. “Look, uhh… guys? You know as well as I do that we’re not all makin’ it out of here today. I doubt they’ll kill any of us, but they can sure as hell catch us. I just wanted you guys to know that I hope you get out, and uhh… it was really…” Dean scratched the back of his head, searching for the words. 

“Yeah, Winchester. We know. Don’t go getting all sappy on us now, this was your idiotic plan in the first place. It’s  _ such  _ a stupid plan that I think it actually might work.” 

_ So much for goodbye. _ Dean took Sirius’s words for what they were, and nodded to both of them. “Alright then, let’s go get the others and get the hell outta Dodge.” 

\-------------------------

Back in the meeting room, Dean eyed the large windows to the right of the table. He fidgeted nervously, but tried to convince himself this was just another Quidditch match, and instead of Dementors, he was just dodging bludgers. He focused hard on his happiest memories as the others started filling the room. 

Cato ushered in the other Slytherins and the three Ravenclaws, and to Dean’s surprise, they all looked somewhere between nervous and excited. 

Cass had succeeded in convincing Newt and Rue to join, and with the three Gryffindors already in position, there was no more need to stall. The sun was going to come up any minute, and they needed to move.

“Okay, you all remember how to conjure a Patronus, right? There are seven dementors on the grounds out there, so you’re probably gonna have to cast and fly. Everyone okay with that?” He heard a few murmurs but it seemed like they were all affirmative. “Awesome. Now, I’m not gonna give you guys some huge ra-ra speech… you all know what you’re fighting for. The second you’ve got your brooms in your hands, fly and don’t fucking look back. Not for a second, not for  _ anything.  _ I don’t care where you fly to - go home, go to a friend’s, go to friggen Mars for all I care. Just get the hell out and  _ don’t look back.”  _ He took one more moment to look over the faces of his friends and fellow tributes, and then pulled Cass into a kiss. He held there until Finnick cleared his throat, then he pulled back and looked at Cass. “I’m not kiddin’, angel. You fly and you keep goin’ till this place is just a bad fuckin’ dream, whether or not I make it out. Tell Sammy I love him.” 

Cass nodded. “You’re going to make it out too.” 

Dean knew he didn’t have time to argue, so he turned to face the rest. “On my count. Three… two… one.” 

All twelve tributes raised their wands and screamed “ _ Accio Broom!”  _ in unison. Dean felt the seconds tick by like a hammer in his chest, and he had his wand gripped tight in his hand in case the dementors heard them and attacked early. 

No such attack came, but Dean still nearly jumped out of his skin when the first of the windows broke. Cato’s broom flew into his hand and he mounted quickly. He glanced at Dean. “See you on the other side.” He took off as two more brooms found their way to Beetee and Finnick. Both of them were gone within seconds. 

One by one, the tributes took flight and disappeared. Dean was holding onto his broom tightly, determined to be the last to leave. He waited and waited, but Rue’s broom never came. She was openly crying, choking out something along the lines of ‘told you Charms wasn’t my strong suit’ between sobs. Dean looked wildly at Cass. 

“Go! I’ll take her, just go! Now!” Dean shifted back on his broom and heaved the crying girl onto it in front of him. Cass waited until they were situated and then took off out the window, Dean and Rue right behind him. 

The sky erupted with flashes of red and green lights, and he heard someone screaming. Everything was a blur, and he tried desperately to hold Rue steady on the broom in front of him as he pulled out his wand again. He searched for the source of the spellcasting but couldn’t make anything out in the darkness, especially now that he was feeling the familiar despair brought on by dementors. 

“Rue!” He screamed over the noise of the wind. “Patronus, now!” Dean tried to hurl his own over his shoulder, but nothing but a faint swirl of silver mist came out. He tried again and again, never producing more than a thin shroud of vapor. The longer it went on, the less hope Dean had.  _ You killed everyone. You did this. This was your plan, and it’s failing. Every single one of these people is dead, and it’s not Voldemort’s fault - it’s yours.  _

Rue pulled herself together enough that she was able to send her silver Mockingjay flying down to the dementors below him. He turned to watch, trying to use the sight of it to summon his own. 

Cass pulled his broom back so he was level with Dean and Rue, and he shoved Dean to get his attention. Dean looked quickly at him, no longer paying attention to where they were flying. “Together!” Cass yelled, and Dean took the hint. 

“ _ Expecto Patronum!”  _ They had yelled in unison, their wands nearly touching in the air as their brooms bumped together from lack of control. Cass’s strange angelic Patronus and Dean’s phoenix exploded from their wands and charged the dementors below, blocking out some of the terror and sadness that had been threatening to overtake Dean. 

He heard another scream and turned his head forward quickly. This one, unlike the first, sounded decidedly male. “Sirius?! Finnick!” He scanned the sky, rising higher and farther away from the dementors. He could see two brooms far ahead of the rest of them, but then spotted the source of the screaming. 

Beetee was trying to duel mid-air with Severus Snape. Dean let go of his broom in a moment of horror as Beetee was hit in the chest by a spell, and tumbled off his broom to the ground below. 

“ _ Arresto Momentum!”  _ Cass was screaming, pointing his wand at Beetee’s falling form. It seemed to work, but they were high enough that the impact would have been muffled either way. 

Dean heard even more terrified shrieking and whipped his head around to find the source. He was startled to find that it was coming from right in front of him: Rue was sliding off the broom, her legs flailing to the side as her hand came up, smacking Dean in the chest and gripping his shirt. He grabbed ahold of her, sacrificing his own precarious grip on the broomstick to right her again. 

All around him were screams, terror, and darkness illuminated only by the fireworks of curses. Dean couldn’t see, he couldn’t think, he couldn’t focus on anything but trying not to crash the broom he had officially lost control of. Cass’s hand shot out in an attempt to steady them, but the act slowed their momentum enough that they were quickly surrounded by hooded figures on brooms that looked much faster than Dean’s Cleansweep Seven. 

He and Cass got the same idea at the same time. 

“ _ Stupify”  _

_ “Engorgio!”  _

_ “Impedimenta!”  _

_ “Protego… Lacarnum Inflamarae!”  _

Over and over, they hurled curses and jinxes at the Death Eaters. They succeeded in knocking a few of them back, but more took their place. 

Dean’s heart nearly stopped when he heard,  _ “Imperio!”  _ until he realized it was Cass that cast the Unforgivable Curse. The Death Eater he’d been aiming at turned his broom abruptly, colliding with two others. All three fell off their brooms and tumbled towards the ground. 

Emboldened, Dean pointed his wand over Rue’s shoulder, ignoring the way she was folded almost in half in front of him and yelled “ _ Sectumsempra!”  _ The curse hit home, and one of the remaining Death Eaters abruptly let go of his broom as blood poured from his lower abdomen where the spell had landed. He was still surrounded by screaming, but it was now impossible to tell what was coming from tributes and what was coming from Death Eaters.

He risked a glance at Cass, and was rewarded by a curse that hit him right between the eyes. It knocked him back as his vision went white, and the next thing he knew, he was falling. 

\-----------------------

Dean woke up in a bed. His eyes were open, but the world was too blurry to make anything out. He was acutely aware of pain blossoming over his entire body in stark contrast to the soft mattress below him.  _ Did I -- did we actually make it?  _ He sat up, blinking rapidly and rubbing his eyes to try and get his vision to clear. Each movement sparked shooting pain through him, but he persisted. “Sammy? Cass? ….Sirius?” 

A few more urgent blinks brought the world around him into clarity. It was the same room he’d been waking up in for days. He nearly sobbed, dropping back on the bed and curling in on himself.  _ No, no, no…  _

The bedroom door opened as Castiel limped in slowly, watching Dean. He stayed quiet and made his way to the bed, climbing onto it. He leaned back against the headboard and pulled Dean to him, holding him tight. “I’ve got you, Dean. You’re alright.”

Dean’s chest heaved. “No, no, no,  _ no…  _ Cass, you were supposed to get away. Why the hell didn’t you fly away?” 

Castiel pressed his lips to Dean’s head, not loosening his grip. “We were surrounded, Dean. You fell and one of them grabbed me and…” He shook his head. “We didn’t stand a chance.”

Dean buried his face in the pillow next to Cass’s chest, exhaustion and devastation combining into something horrible inside of him. “Rue? Sirius? Finn? Newt? Did  _ anyone  _ make it out?” 

Castiel rubbed Dean’s back gently, chewing his lip before he spoke. “Yes, four of us did. Luna, Jack, Ash and… and Sirius.”

A sob wracked through Dean, and he honestly didn’t know in that moment if it was pain for the rest of them, or relief for Sirius.  _ Four, Dean. Four people made it out. Four people are gonna live. Sirius is one of them. Your best friend is gonna live.  _ Dean nodded, his forehead bumping against Cass’s side. “Are you okay?” 

Castiel shrugged slightly, before nodding once. “Yes. Bumps and bruises, but I’ll be alright.” He shuffled down on the bed so he was laying down beside Dean, turning his head to look at him. “Are you?”

Dean considered that for a moment. No, for the most part, he was decidedly not okay. He hurt in more ways than just the physical, and he failed. He didn’t save nearly as many people as he’d hoped, and Cass was still stuck here with him. He knew if he lifted his head and looked at Cass, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from losing it, so he kept his face buried. “I’ll tell you one thing… I’m never riding a fucking Cleansweep Seven again.” 

Castiel cracked a small smile, his eyes closing. “I don’t blame you. I’m unsure if I’ll ever ride  _ any _ broom again.”

“We shoulda done  _ accio firebolt  _ and just robbed Quality Quidditch Supplies. Maybe then we coulda outraced those dickbags.” Dean rubbed his nose against the mattress and then forced himself to sit up, wincing slightly. “How pissed is Cato?” 

Castiel breathed out, turning to scan Dean’s face. “He hasn’t come up from the training room. He’s still down there by himself and we’ve all tried to talk to him. It’s as if he can’t even hear us.”

“That’s because he doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to hear  _ or  _ see us. I dangled freedom in front of his face and he had to sit back and watch four other people get it while he was forced back here.” Dean rubbed his jaw. “I can try, but I have a feeling he’s gonna wanna talk with his fists more than his mouth.” 

“But Dean, don’t you understand?  _ Four  _ people escaped. Four people are going to live free and not have to deal with this thanks to you. You  _ saved _ them.” 

“Yeah, okay, but what about the other eight? There’s still eight of us stuck here and I can’t do a damn thing about it. None of us can. They’re not gonna let us get away with somethin’ like that again.” Dean pushed himself off the bed, trying to assess what, if anything, was broken in the fall. 

Castiel watched him, his eyes scanning the room as he tilted his head. “Do you hear that?”

Dean looked towards the door. “Sounds a lot like pourin’ salt in a wound.” 

Castiel slid out of the bed quickly and pushed the bedroom door open. Dean followed as he disappeared down the hall.

He noticed Cass’s limp as he walked, and felt an overwhelming sense of guilt that this endeavor caused as much pain as it did. He filed in behind everyone else to see Seneca Crane and Caesar Flickerman standing in the middle of the meeting room, looking as angry as Dean had ever seen them. He pushed his way to the front, prepared to take the blame. 

Castiel came and stood beside Dean. He pulled Rue behind them, leveling a glare at Crane and Flickerman.

“I bet you all think you’re real funny, huh?” Flickerman started, his words coming out surprisingly calm. “You all thought your little escape plan was going to work, didn’t you?” He shifted his eyes to Dean, making direct eye contact. “Did it work, Dean? Did your attempt to escape and fool all the Death Eaters work?”

Dean couldn’t suppress the spark of defiance that rose in him. “For four of us it did. You’re a little short on tributes now, you son of a bitch. And that sounds like victory to me.” 

Seneca grinned. “You realize who escaped, though, right? The ones who mattered the least. Jack, Luna - pfft, they never stood a chance. As long as we have you, and Castiel, Rue and Finnick, and hell, Cato too, our games can still go on. We lost Mr. Black, that’s a shame, but at least  _ you _ lost someone that mattered to you.”

Crane’s words had the opposite effect on Dean. Crane was right, Luna and Jack never stood a chance, but now they were going to  _ live.  _ They were  _ free.  _ For the first time since waking up, Dean felt hopeful. “I didn’t lose him, dumbass. He’s free. He gets to go back to his life, he doesn’t have to die for your stupid fucking Games or your stupid fucking  _ Lord.”  _

“And you’re certain our Death Eaters didn’t just kill him, correct? Did anyone see the four tributes escape?” The room was silent, as Crane continued. “I didn’t think so. You see, when a stunt like that is pulled, sometimes lives need to be sacrificed and well-” he clicked his tongue, a small smirk playing in his lips.

Dean grinned almost wickedly. “You should learn to choose your words more carefully, dude. You already admitted they  _ escaped.  _ Not ‘were killed’ or ‘died’... you said  _ escaped.  _ And now you’re tryin’ to save face cuz you morons got outsmarted by a bunch of teenagers you thought were less than you.” 

Caesar Flickerman growled, narrowing his eyes at Dean. “They aren’t dead yet, sure, but they will be. We’ll tear out all of Hogwarts to find the four of them. We can all hope your brother Sam doesn’t get in the way. Would be a shame if you volunteered just for him to die anyway, wouldn’t it?”

Dean’s stomach dropped, and any air of confidence or defiance he had vanished. “You’d be wasting your time at Hogwarts, they’d never be dumb enough to go back there. You leave my brother  _ alone.”  _ The last word came out as a snarl, and Dean reached for his wand. 

“Or else what, Dean?” Flickerman watched Dean’s hand, tilting his head. “What are you and your merry band of misfits going to do now?”

Dean weighed his options quickly. Curse Flickerman, and Sammy would be  _ sure  _ to pay the price for it, or stand down and risk any level of respectability and leadership he’d managed to get with the other tributes. It was an easy choice. He let his hands drop to his sides, but his eyes didn’t lose their fire. “One day… one day I’m gonna make you pay for every single kid you’ve hurt. Mark my words.” 

“Threaten me some more, Dean. You’re really improving your chances of keeping your brother alive,” Flickerman grinned, shifting his eyes from Dean to everyone else. 

“As for the rest of you, well, this can’t go unpunished. One meal a day from now on and you better eat fast, as you now only are allowed five minutes to eat.” 

Seneca nodded in agreement. “More than that, though, we all hope you’ve trained enough for the games and for your sponsorships, because you won’t be leaving this house  _ again _ .”

That news was met with absolute silence. Dean’s anger flared but he bit it down, reminding himself over and over again that they were threatening his brother now. When no one spoke against the new rules, Flickerman continued. 

“We’re increasing the number of Death Eaters and Dementors that surround this place, and your meal will be at noon everyday.” 

Crane grinned. “I hope your escape attempt was worth it. Now, we must be going, we have four…  _ untrainable bastards  _ to be caught.”

Castiel swallowed hard and watched as the two men disappeared, his eyes closing. “I hate them more than I hate the fact that we’re getting thrown in Purgatory.”

Dean nodded. “I know, Cass.” Dean stepped forward, turning slowly to face everyone else. He was acutely aware that his face must be quite bruised, and he noticed for the first time that one of his eyes was partially swollen. “Look, I’m… this wasn’t my intention. I know we got dealt a blow with the food and the training, and it’s on me. This was my idea, so don’t go around blamin’ Cass or Cato for it. Blame me, cuz I’m the dumbass that actually thought this was a good plan. I’m sorry for gettin’ all of your hopes up.” Dean chewed on his lip, his gaze dropping to the floor. 

Rue stepped forward and shook her head. “You saved me, Dean. If I had fallen, I’d surely be killed.”

Finnick stepped up after her and nudged Dean. “Hey, chin up, Winchester. So what we’re stuck here now? Four of them escaped and they’re smart.” He paused. “No, wait,  _ Sirius _ is the only one outta them all with half a brain, but he’s gonna figure something out, alright? I bet you the tributes from the other years  _ never  _ gave Flickerman and Crane a run for their money like this. Crane was panicking, he knows they’re screwed. Stop being so hard on yourself, man.”

Dean knew Finnick was trying to cheer him up, but all Dean could think about was whether or not he’d just sacrificed his brother to save Sirius and three people he barely knew. “Yeah, whatever. I guess dinner’s off the table tonight, so I’m gonna head to bed. I’ll uhh… see you all for the first day of house arrest tomorrow.” 

Castiel frowned and stepped towards Dean, watching him. “Dean… you don’t have to blame yourself. We all agreed, we all wanted to try it and we all knew the consequences. It didn’t go in our favour, so what? We’re still going to be tossed into Purgatory, but now we have even more of a reason to not kill each other. Flickerman and Crane don’t get to push us around anymore. I don’t know about you, or anyone else, but I’m done being bullied by them. I’m done with constantly falling to my knees for them. They want their games, but they’re not going to get them. We’ll figure this out, okay? We always do.”

“Yeah. Tell that to my mom when she’s gotta bury two kids instead of one now.” Dean kept his eyes to the floor as he pushed his way through the remaining tributes and headed to the bedroom alone. 


	18. A Little Less Conversation

**_Castiel: Day Five_ **

Castiel’s heart and stomach sank as he heard what Dean said, his body tensing slightly. He looked to Finnick who just shook his head. Castiel cleared his throat and looked to the people. “Alright, everyone get some sleep. We’ll meet here bright and early for-” he paused, tilting his head. “Actually, sleep as long as you want tomorrow. We’ve got nowhere to be.”

He watched as everyone else except for Finnick left for their rooms, letting out a deep breath. “Are you alright, Finn?”

Finnick studied Cass. “I’m not injured, if that’s what you’re asking.” 

Castiel sighed quietly. “What the hell are we going to do?”

“That’s a good question. Dean was the one that started all of this… reminded us that we didn’t have to fight each other just because they said we did. Obviously escaping isn’t going to be an option now, and Dean seems to be down for the count.” Finnick shrugged, sitting down on one of the chairs next to the fireplace.

Castiel frowned but nodded. “I suppose you’re right. I can talk to Dean but… I don’t know if it will do any good.”

Finnick shook his head. “It won’t. I’ve known him a lot longer than you have. The bond that kid has with his little brother is borderline disturbing. It was over the second Flickerman and Crane threatened Sammy. There’s nothing any of us are going to be able to say to him now.” 

Castiel clenched his jaw and looked to the ground, before turning around. “Goodnight, Finnick.” He didn’t wait for a reply and walked to the bedroom, opening the door and stepping inside, closing it after him. 

Dean was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. He didn’t turn when Cass entered, or make any movement or noise whatsoever that signalled he even knew he wasn’t alone anymore. 

Castiel pulled his shirt off and dropped it on the ground, moving to crawl into the bed. Once he was laying back and was comfortable under the blankets he opened his arm for Dean. “Come here.”

Dean shook his head. “Cass… I…” Dean huffed, then made a frustrated noise. “This shit isn’t fair. Sammy was supposed to be safe.” 

“I know, Dean. I know you’re scared and you’re pissed… but you-,” he sighed, clicking his tongue. “Just come here, lay down with me.”

With what looked like incredibly forced, stiff movements, Dean laid down on his back right next to Cass. “Did I fuck things up? Don’t tell me what I wanna hear, Cass, please. I need you to be the one person that fucking levels with me on this. Did I put Sammy in danger?” 

Castiel wrapped one arm around Dean and stayed quiet as he considered all the elements that played into his answer. He closed his eyes and spoke softly, “did you fuck things up? Yes, I think you did. I’m not upset with you over it, no one is. No one except Cato, maybe, but Dean, your intentions were good. You wanted to give everyone a chance. A chance to return home and four people are getting that chance.” He fell silent for a moment and then shook his head. “They’re not going to touch Sam. Crane and Flickerman are the two most despised people on this planet and no one at Hogwarts is going to let them anywhere near Sam or any of the others. I have faith in the other professors there and this time I do actually have faith in Headmaster Shurley. He seems about as fed up with this as we are. I can’t guarantee anything, but no, I really don’t think Sam is in any kind of danger.”

Dean let out a slow breath. “I hope you’re right, angel. I don’t have the same kinda faith in our professors as you seem to, and Shurley’s about as likely to intervene as fuckin’ Groot is… but there’s nothin’ I can do about it now. I took my shot and I missed, simple as that. And all it cost us was food and the ability to at least kind of prepare ourselves for what’s to come. This shit’s far from over.” 

Castiel leaned over and tilted Dean’s chin to kiss him. “Maybe they’re only saying this stuff because they knows it bothers you. They know you’re going to shut down and worry about Sam. Don’t let that happen, Dean. Take tonight, with me, and cry. Cry and scream and break things if you have to, but tomorrow, tomorrow we’ve all got to pull ourselves together. We can’t let them break us like this.”

“I’m good, Cass. Really. Don’t worry about me. Let’s just get some sleep, okay? I’m gonna have to deal with Cato in the morning.” Dean smiled at Cass, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He rolled onto his side and pulled Cass closer.

Castiel heard everything Dean said and saw his smile, but knew Dean was far from ‘good.’ He stayed quiet and cuddled back into Dean, closing his eyes and interlocking their fingers with one hand.

\-------------------------------

Castiel woke up the next morning and blinked his eyes open slowly, rolling around to face Dean. He sighed quietly, leaning in to kiss him gently before sliding out of the bed.

Dean stirred but didn’t wake up. He moved slightly and tugged the blankets up higher, effectively disappearing. 

Castiel smiled, watching him as he pulled his shirt on. He grabbed his wand and tucked it away, walking out to the meeting room, still in his pajama pants. “Anyone awake?”

Newt and Finnick were seated at the table, leaned in close to each other. Their whispered conversation halted as Newt glanced up to look at Cass. “Yes, as it turns out, I wasn’t much in the mood to sleep last night.” 

Castiel squinted at them and raised his eyebrows but didn’t ask about it, sliding into an empty seat at the table. “Yes, well, me neither.”

Fortunately for Castiel, Finnick seemed to be in a sharing mood. “We were talking about where Sirius might have gone. Newt here doesn’t think he’d be stupid enough to go back to Hogwarts, but I think he might’ve done.” 

Castiel tilted his head, but nodded once. “I reckon he went back. He wouldn’t give up on us like that, would he?”

Finnick shook his head, and Castiel recognized the same glint of defiance in his eyes that he usually saw in Dean’s.  _ Must be a Gryffindor thing.  _ Finnick leaned forward, whispering again. “We talked about trying to escape… even before Winchester’s plan. He told me if he got out, he was gonna go back for Sam, James and Remus and raise a little hell. I bet that’s  _ exactly  _ what he’s doing.” 

“That seems likely, to be honest.” Castiel sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. “We’ve got to kill two more days here before the sponsorship thing.”

Newt nodded. “That’s if we make it that far. Knowing Sirius, he’ll have half the student body descending on this place by nightfall.” 

Castiel breathed out. “Dean’s going to be  _ pissed _ if Sirius gets Sam involved.”

Finnick chuckled. “Not if they save his life, he won’t. Dean’s protective of Sam, but at the end of the day he knows that Sammy can handle himself. He also knows he can’t control him, so if Sirius tries to enlist Sam and Sam agrees, I don’t think Dean will be anything but scared.” He paused, then lowered his voice again, all laughter gone. “How’s he doing, by the way?”

Castiel shook his head a little bit, matching Finnick’s volume. “I don’t think he’s doing very well. He told me last night he was ‘good’ and even tried to smile but…”

“Dean’s stronger than a lot of people give him credit for, but he’s got a heart about eight sizes too big for his damn chest. He makes everything his problem, even if it’s got nothing to do with him. You know the minute I came to after the Choosing and saw Dean I knew we were going to try to escape?” Finnick raised his eyebrows, the hint of a grin returning. 

Castiel nodded, leaning back in his chair. “Yes, well, try we did.” He looked to Newt. “How are you doing?”

“Things haven’t changed much for me. I knew Sirius but not well, and prior to the Choosing I couldn’t have picked Luna or Jack out of a crowd to save my life. I didn’t escape but I wasn’t hurt, so I suppose that’s something.” Newt smiled awkwardly. 

“And nothing from Cato yet? Does anyone even know if he went to bed last night?” Castiel asked, standing up.

Finnick spoke up. “I went down there this morning and he was fast asleep on the floor in the training room. I think I scared the shit out of him, because he woke up and looked like he’d just spent a month in a cave. He didn’t talk much, he asked if Dean was awake and when I said no, he went back to hitting things. If you listen closely, you can probably still hear him.” 

Castiel fell silent and listened intently for the sounds of Cato, clearing his throat then he heard a  _ thud _ followed by Cato yelling something that he couldn’t quite make out. “Dean’s going to try and speak with him when he wakes up.”

“Hope you all are adept at  _ episkey.”  _ Newt said simply, just as Rue and Beetee came into the room. 

“Good morning, Castiel.” Rue nodded to Newt and Finnick and then came and sat behind him. “Since we’re stuck here, can we try out the pool today?” 

Castiel clicked his tongue as he looked back at Rue. “Do you know how to swim?”

She nodded quickly. “Yes, my aunt taught me when I was little. Do you?” 

He fell silent, looking around the room of people. He definitely didn’t know how to swim, he’d never felt the need to learn. He cleared his throat and nods once. “Of course I do.”

Beetee eyed him suspiciously. “Well, I don’t. I suppose this would be a good time to learn, since we have nothing better to do.” 

Castiel nodded and stood up, looking to Rue. “I’ll meet you down there, okay?”

Rue grinned and hopped off the chair. “There’s a dresser in the room that no one’s using now that Sirius is gone, it’s got swimming suits in it. Don’t take too long, Castiel!” Rue raced out of the room. 

Castiel tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling. If Finnick and Newt hadn’t been there, he would’ve been honest. He would’ve told Rue that he had no idea how. He chewed his lip and turned, sauntering off to the empty room.

Once in there he grabbed a pair of swimming trunks out of the dresser and changed quickly, his heart racing. “Can’t be too hard, right?” He said out loud to no one. “Just stay where you can touch, you’ll be fine.”

With a nod he turned and headed down to the pool, scanning the area when he entered it. “Hi, guys.”

Everyone but Cato and Dean were present, and Rue smiled widely at him as she splashed in the water. “Come in, the water’s really warm!” 

He cleared his throat and noticed the stairs that descended into the shallow end, making his way over to them before stepping onto the first step. Castiel paused for a moment and eyed Finnick and Newt, before submerging himself more, the water to his waist now.  _ This isn’t too bad, this is fine. _

Finnick had his feet in the water as he sat on the edge. He looked over at Cass and smirked. “You look scared, Novak. You good?” 

Castiel nodded and looked to Finnick. “I’m perfectly fine, Finn. Don’t worry about me.”

Finnick shrugged, then dove into the water, swimming under it to the other side of the pool. He stayed below the surface for an alarmingly long time, before springing up out of it, splashing everyone in his immediate vicinity. “Come on in, Castiel. Join us over here!” 

Castiel shifted on his feet before he shook his head. “I am in, Finn. I’m just… over here instead.”

“Yeah, yeah. I see you. But if you come over  _ here,  _ we can play Chicken!”

Castiel cleared his throat. “Chicken? I don’t believe I’m familiar with that game.”

“It’s easy. Someone climbs on my shoulders, and two other people do the same, and the people on top wrestle until one set falls over. It’s fun… which is probably why you’ve never heard of it.” Finnick grinned, splashing Rue as she tried to sneak up on him. 

Cass watched and shifted his eyes to the wall of the pool. He walked over slowly and held onto it as he pulled himself over to where everyone else was. “Happy?”

Finnick’s grin faded as he watched Cass. Surprisingly, his voice held no tone of mockery as he spoke. “You don’t know how to swim, do you? It’s okay if you don’t, a lot of wizards don’t actually know how to. I had to teach  _ myself.”  _

Castiel looked away from Finnick and to a random spot in the pool. “Perhaps.”

Finnick yelled for everyone else to quit splashing for a moment, and then swam closer to Cass. “If you want to learn, I can teach you. Or, you don’t have to swim at all. I’m sorry I pushed you, it’s not really your fault you don’t know.”

_ Who are you and what the hell happened to Finnick? _ He shifted his eyes to him, nodding once. “Do you think Purgatory will have something like this? Do you think I’ll need to know how to swim?”

“If you’re asking if Purgatory has in in-ground pool with a deck, I think the short answer is ‘no.’ I would like to think there is some sort of body of water there, however, or else we’ll all die of dehydration within a week.” It was Newt that spoke, swimming over to his other side. “Beetee said he didn’t know how to swim either. Maybe you both could learn? Just enough to get by, at least.” 

Finnick nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. And if Cato or fucking Carrow make fun of you while you learn, I’ll kick their asses.” 

Castiel watched Finnick. “Not that I’m not grateful for your help, because I am, I just... why aren’t  _ you _ making fun of me?”

Finnick’s eyes darkened and he lowered his voice. “It’s like I said, Castiel. It’s not your fault you don’t know how to swim. If you’d deliberately chosen not to learn, I’d make fun of you. But no one would do a dumbass thing like that, and I know what it’s li--” He huffed, cutting himself off. It took a moment, but he broke out in a smirk again. “If you’d prefer I make fun of you, I can arrange that.” 

Castiel rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “No thank you, I think I’ll pass on that second part.”

Finnick nodded once. “Okay, then swimming lessons it is. Start off by holding onto the side and letting your legs drop. Kick them back and forth, get used to how they feel moving in the water like that.” 

Castiel took a deep breath, but clutched onto the wall, letting his legs drop and kicking them slowly. 

Finnick continued giving him directions, and more than once he gave him one that didn’t make sense just to watch him get confused. After what seemed like a very long time, both him and Beetee were able to at least keep themselves afloat and propel themselves forward in the water.  _ I won’t be winning any medals for this, but it’s a start.  _

Castiel heaved himself out of the water, looking down at Finnick. “Thanks, Finn. Honestly, I really appreciate it.”

Finnick smiled. “Water’s awesome. I’m just happy to spread the love. Good work, from both of you. Maybe we can try again tomorrow and see if either one of you is actually brave enough to go underwater.” 

Castiel tensed but forced a smile. “Yes, alright. I’m going to go in and dry off, it should be time to eat soon, so don’t miss it.” He grabbed a towel off the ledge on the side and started drying off his arms and chest, heading back for the stairs. He paused outside the training room, tilting his head slightly when he heard two voices inside instead of one.  _ Dean? _

“Look, man. I know it didn’t end the way we wanted it to. I’m sorry you didn’t get out. But jesus, you gotta relax a little bit.” Dean sounded as if this was about the tenth time he’s had to say the same thing. 

Castiel heard a  _ thud,  _ and then Cato’s agitated retort. “Your plan was fucking stupid, I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you. You realize if they catch the others, they’ll probably just kill them and be done with it?” 

Dean’s voice lowered to the point where Castiel had to lean closer to the door to properly make it out. “You don’t think I fucking know that? You don’t think I’m not thinkin’ about the four of them every second of the day now? About Sammy, and the threats those douchebags made? I  _ am,  _ but this was the whole point! To get people out. Yeah, we only got a third of us out, but that’s a helluva lot more than we could say before we tried it.” 

Cass heard another dull thump, before a growl. “Your brother isn’t the only person we left behind that’s in danger now, Winchester. You said yourself you already knew all about Sarah and what my dad did. You don’t think she’s in as much danger as your stupid fucking brother?” 

This time, there was the distinct sound of a fist hitting flesh. It was followed quickly by several bangs, the scrape of a chair on concrete, and muffled shouts. Cass prepared himself to go in just as the sounds stopped. 

Cato sounded out of breath as he spoke. “You gave up. I’m not going to. I’m getting out of here with or without the rest of you.” 

Dean grunted. “Get the fuck off of me, Cato, you made your goddamn point. I never said I was giving up, but unlike you… I  _ do  _ care who else gets out. I’m tryin’ to think of a way to get us all out without putting anyone else in -- for  _ fucks sake get offa me!”  _ Cass heard more muffled noises, and then Dean continued, letting out a sharp breath. “If Sirius, Jack, Ash or Luna dies… it’s on me. I get that. But blaming me isn’t gonna help anybody get out of here. Now get your shit together and get back upstairs. Maybe someone else has a better plan than we did.” 

“Then  _ you  _ did. I might have agreed, but this was all you.” Another thump, and then Cato walked out of the room, stopping in front of Cass. “What the fuck do you want?” 

Castiel clenched his jaw and didn’t say anything, brushing past Cato and into the training room, looking at Dean on the ground. “What the hell, Cato?!”

“He hit me first, I just finished it.” Cato turned and walked back up the stairs, leaving them alone. 

Castiel moved to Dean quickly and kneeled down beside him. He felt around for his wand but realized it was still in the shirt he had on earlier.

“I’m fine, Cass. He didn’t hurt me, he just used his giant fucking ape body to pin me. Just wait till his jaw bruises.” Dean sat up, grabbing his elbow and rolling his shoulder. 

“Are you sure?” Castiel watched him, sitting back against the wall. 

Dean nodded. “Yeah, I think he hurt my ego more than anything. I’m good, and he’s gonna be fine. He’s just sad and it comes out as aggression.” Dean paused for a moment and then barked a laugh. “People say the same shit about me, guess it takes one to know one.” 

Castiel was unamused and grabbed the towel, drying off his hair with it. “Right. How did you sleep?”

Dean pushed himself to his feet and pulled his wand out of his back pocket, looking relieved that it was still in one piece. “Alright I guess, all things considered. Where were you?” Dean’s eyes travelled up and down his body, then landed on this mouth. 

Cass shrugged and stood as well. “We were all trying out the pool. It’s nice.”

He grinned, walking over and kissing him. “Shoulda woken me up, it woulda been worth it.” 

Castiel kissed him back, smiling slightly now. “Well, perhaps we can go back tonight, once everyone’s asleep. I don’t think it would’ve been very attractive for you to watch me flail around and nearly drown.”

Dean slid his hands down to Cass’s waist and frowned. “Why were you flailing?” 

“Just now, in that pool, I learned how to swim.” He shifted slightly, looking down for a moment. “Finnick taught Beetee and I.”

Dean looked temporarily surprised, but then smiled. “Good for you, Cass. I’m proud of you for learning something new.” 

Castiel blinked and shifted his eyes to Dean’s, relaxing against the wall. “You can swim, I assume?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, dad made sure of it. Came in handy a time or two. My mom used to tell me I could swim before I could walk, which…” Dean glanced down at his legs and shrugged. “Yeah, that’s probably true.” 

“As long as you know how to do both, who cares which order you learned in?” Castiel shrugged, tilting Dean’s chin up. 

“Oh, I don’t. It really doesn’t make a difference to me, I was just saying.” Dean glanced at his watch and his eyes widened. “Cass, we gotta move! Breakunchinner is in like 2 minutes.” Dean didn’t wait for a response as he turned and sprinted up the stairs, nearly tripping more than once.

“Bless you,” Castiel mumbled, grabbing the towel and making his way upstairs as well and into the meeting room.

Sure enough, the food soon appeared on the table. Everyone else had already made their way inside, and with only 5 minutes to eat enough for a full day, it was a madhouse. Dean surfaced from the crowd of people quickly, bringing two plates over to where Cass stood against the wall. “Here, hurry up.” He handed the plate to Cass and then sat down, once again foregoing silverware in the interest of expediency. 

Castiel chuckled, thanking Dean for the plate as he picked at some bacon and some fruit, realizing how long it had been since he’d had strawberries. He quickly ate them all, grabbing a piece of toast to eat as well.

All too soon, the remainder of the food disappeared. Dean groaned. “On the bright side, we’ll be used to starving by the time we get dropped in Purgatory.” 

**_Dean: Day Six_ **

The otherwise uneventful morning was interrupted when Flickerman and Crane showed up, very much uninvited. They both looked equally harassed, and Dean wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to mess with them now that he was decently convinced they wouldn’t hurt his brother. 

“Don’t we have to like… invite you guys in or something? I thought that was a thing with bloodsuckers.” Dean leaned back on the couch, the empty plates from their only meal on the table in front of him. “Wait, you guys might suck a lot of things, but I guess it’d be an insult to vamps to lump you in with them.” 

Flickerman narrowed his eyes at Dean. “Well, from what I hear, you like to…” he shifted his eyes to Castiel briefly, than back to Dean, “ _ suck _ things as well, if you will.”

Dean felt a rush of anger and slight embarrassment, but kept a smirk plastered on his face, remembering that Cass told him they can’t let Flickerman and Crane see them break. “It’s just the one thing, really… and what can I say, I’ve got a big mouth.” 

Castiel turned as red as a tomato and looked to the ground, trying to fight the smirk on his own face, which Dean caught anyway. 

Finnick snorted a laugh which was cut off by Crane clearing his throat, shifting his eyes between the other tributes. “That’s enough of that.” He spoke sharply, crossing his arms. “I hope you all feel confident with your abilities.”

“Oh, I’m  _ real  _ confident in my abilities, don’t worry about me.” Dean looked to Cass and wiggled his eyebrows. 

Castiel looked up from the ground, his face slowly returning to its normal colour. “As am I.” He looked to Dean and shook his head, chuckling quietly.

“That isn’t at all what I meant, you incompetent little shit,” Crane narrowed his eyes at Dean. “Perhaps you weren’t taught how to be respectful when you were younger.”

“I wasn’t, actually. My daddy taught me how to kill things. Not much need for respect there.” Dean shrugged, but his mood and his eyes darkened. 

Castiel seemed to pick up on this and stepped forward, changing the subject. “So, what can we do for you?”

Flickerman scoffed. “Besides kill each other, there isn’t much. We actually came to deliver some news. Where’s the other Slytherin? Cato, or whatever is name is.”

Dean stood up. “I’ll go get him. Try not to get any douchier while I’m gone, I don’t think this room can take it.” Dean disappeared down the steps and returned a couple of minutes later with Cato behind him. 

Cato looked between Flickerman and Crane. “Who the fuck let you two in? I thought we put up spells against assholes.” Dean and Cato sat down on the couch Dean had been on earlier and adopted similar stances. 

“We let ourselves in, we can do that.” Crane cleared his throat. “We figured you’d like an update on your little escapists.”

Dean’s jaw clenched, but he remained silent. 

“Well, I shall interpret the silence as you  _ would _ like one. Unfortunately, much to our dismay, we haven’t located them yet. With that being said, Death Eaters now guard every hallway, every classroom and every entrance to Hogwarts. We have reason to suspect that they will be returning to Hogwarts,” Flickerman stated, his eyes narrowed.

Dean didn’t care. Hope swelled in his chest at the news that Sirius and the others were still free, and he knew enough about the students and professors of Hogwarts to know that they could handle themselves against a few extra Death Eaters. He didn’t bother trying to conceal his triumphant grin. “Sucks to suck, doesn’t it?” 

Crane shifted his eyes to Dean but remained silent. Flickerman, on the other hand, did not. “I do hope your breakfast this morning was enjoyable. Or shall I say… meal?”

Dean shrugged. “Bacon was a little burnt, but it was still bacon. You guys should enlist some House Elves though… seems cooking isn’t among your incredibly short list of talents.” 

“We don’t make the food, Dean. Quite frankly, we aren’t sure where it comes from. Lord Voldemort handles that.”

“That’s mildly unsanitary, I’m not convinced that dude knows what a shower is.” Dean knew he was pushing his luck, but what did it matter at this point? 

Crane rolled his eyes. “Tomorrow you will be taken one by one to the training room, where you will have the chance to prove to your professors and pureblood families what your skills are. If they feel so inclined, they can choose to sponsor you but judging by the lot of you… I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

Dean fake yawned loudly. “How many times are you gonna tell us this shit? We get it, put on a funny hat and dance for the spectators… yeah, yeah. This monkey doesn’t perform for free though, there better be some good music involved.” 

“There’s no hats, no music, and certainly no dancing. You come into the room, you get ten minutes and then you leave. That’s all there is to it. Perhaps I should keep telling you until you all get it through your thick skulls.” Crane sneered, tilting his head.

“Geeze, you’d think after what, twelve, now thirteen years of this shit you guys would figure out how to write a decent death montage. We get it, douchebag, trust me. Are you done?” Dean’s irritation level was rising quickly, in direct contrast to the level of his patience.

Flickerman smiled fakely. “We’re done here. We shall see you all tomorrow.” With that, they both disappeared, Castiel letting out a deep breath.

Dean shook his head. “God, I fuckin’ hate those guys.” 

Rue crossed her arms and looked down. “Do you think we ruined our chances of receiving any sponsors?”

Finnick clicked his tongue. “Nah, don’t worry, kid. At least the other professors at Hogwarts somewhat like us, right?”

“I wouldn't be so sure.” Castiel chuckled quietly, licking his bottom lip.

“I’m pretty sure Cinna wants to marry you, Cass. Don’t sit there and tell me you ain’t sure.” Dean smiled and shook his head. “We’ll be fine, especially if we stick together.” 

“Nah, Winchester, I’m pretty sure Cass wants to marry Professor Cinna. Ain’t that right, Cass?” Finnick smirked.

Castiel shrugged and crossed his arms. “Don’t complain when you don’t get any sponsors, Finn. It’s not my fault professors like me.”

“Pffft,” Dean made a face. “Odair’s the fuckin’ golden child in Gryffindor. I’ll be seriously surprised if Professor Mills doesn’t throw him a bone.” 

Castiel nodded, smiling slightly. “Whatever we get, we work together.” He shifted his eyes to Cato. “Right?”

Cato’s arms were crossed but he slowly released them. “I already told your boyfriend I’m not gonna hurt any of you unless I absolutely have to. That’s about all I can promise. Stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.” 

Dean glared at him but didn’t push it. “We should probably keep training. Does everyone know what they’re gonna show the sponsors?” 

Rue nodded. “My plants! I’ll show them how well I know them and then maybe they’ll sponsor me with some dittany or something.”

Castiel nodded as well. “Potions, probably. Certainly  _ not _ metal death sticks.”

Dean grinned despite himself and looked at Newt. “What about you?” 

Newt’s eyes seemed almost unfocused. “I guess that depends. I don’t know how I’d show them how good I am with magical creatures if there aren’t any. There was a grindylow in the room we were in last time… maybe there will be something similar. If there’s not… I really don’t have any idea what I’ll do.” 

Cato chimed in. “I’m good at everything, and I’m going to make damn sure they know that.” 

Dean looked to Beetee, who took that as his cue. “I’m good with technology. Inventions and the like. Depending on what materials I’m given, I’m going to build…  _ something.”  _

Castiel smiled at Beetee and then turned to Alecto Carrow. “And you?”

Alecto sneered at him. “Wouldn’t  _ you  _ like to know?” Cato shot him a look, and Alecto almost cowered under it. “I’m good at the Dark Arts. The pureblood families will eat that shit up.” 

Castiel nodded and then turned to Dean. “What’re you going to show them?”

“Probably my freakishly good looks and a couple of middle fingers.” Dean shrugged. “That’s the working plan, anyway.” 

Castiel sighed, watching Dean. “As true as that is, what are you actually going to do? Because although your ‘freakishly good looks’ work on many people, I’m not sure the sponsors feel the same.”

“You tryin’ to tell me I can’t ‘Blue Steel’ my way into a couple of favours from Trinket and Hanscum? You’re nuts, buddy.” The truth was, Dean had absolutely no idea what he was going to do, but he had what he believed was a decent fallback if all else failed. “Nah, in all honesty… I’ll probably just show ‘em my hunting skills. Shooting, trapping, y’know. Shit like that. It’s not much, but it might come in handy in Purgatory so it might at least get me a weapon or two.” 

Rue grinned at him. “I think they’ll like that. It’ll be different from the rest of us.”

“Yeah, it’ll look like I’m the only one that doesn’t own a damn wand.” Dean stood up and looked around. “Since it seems like no one picked the same talents, we should split up. Try to work out what you can do in ten minutes so you’re prepared for tomorrow. This is it, guys. As much as I hate to say it, we need to play along. About the only thing those sons of bitches have told us so far that I actually believe is that getting sponsors could be the difference between life and death in there. We need ‘em, no matter how much it sucks.” 

Castiel moved over to stand beside Dean and nodded. “I agree with you. There’s no room for error tomorrow. If you’ve ever been perfect for ten minutes in your life, it needs to be the ten tomorrow.”


	19. The Letter

**_Dean_ **

Dean licked his lips and swallowed hard as he looked around at the people surrounding him in the training room. Flickerman and Crane had come to get them before their one meal of the day, and his stomach was churning. He had watched Beetee, Finnick, Cato and Rue go into the room one by one, and each of them came out looking more nervous than anything. He expected that from Rue, and maybe even from Beetee, but Cato and Finnick’s reactions had almost scared him. He hadn’t slept much the night before, staying curled against Cass but unable to find sleep. He would start to drift off but would jerk awake again from either the beginnings of nightmares or just thoughts and anxiety that wouldn’t quit. Dean had spent so much of his life failing to impress those around him that he had eventually quit trying. Now that he had to focus every conscious thought into impressing an entire room of people, he was nearly paralyzed by insecurities. If this was just about him, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But other people, a  _ lot  _ of other people, were relying on him to earn at least one sponsor today. He’d gone over and over it in his mind and had failed miserably at coming up with an acceptable plan. He’d ultimately decided just to wing it, but now that he was here and his ten minutes were about to begin… he was seriously regretting that tactic. 

He was given a few minutes to look around the room and gather whatever materials he thought he’d need before the timer officially began. During that time, he had almost frantically searched the training room for something that would stick out at him or give him some stroke of brilliance that he just hadn’t thought of previously. He noted with a fraction of a smile that there was a niffler in a cage against one of the walls, and he thought that at least Newt would come out of this okay. Potions, plants he’d never seen, spellbooks…  _ no, no, this is all wrong. I can’t do shit with any of this.  _

His eyes finally landed on the colt he’d used during days two and three of training. He picked it up and made his way over to what he’d named the trapping station. There wasn’t much to set up, if he touched any of the ropes or hooks before the timer started, he’d probably be disqualified. 

He recognized a couple of the purebloods in the room as some of the Death Eaters that had stopped their escape attempt. He noticed with a small degree of satisfaction that the Death Eater Castiel had put the Unforgivable Curse on wasn’t present.  _ Good, maybe he got demoted. Or murdered. Or maybe he was just too scared to show his face.  _

The timer started and Dean got to work. He dropped to his knees and quickly started constructing one of the first snares his dad ever taught him. He knew he could do it in under two minutes, which was why he’d chosen it despite its simplistic and wholly unremarkable nature. When it was set, he picked up his wand in one hand and the gun in the other. He found himself once again grateful for his dad, because he’d learned quickly how to shoot with his non-dominant hand. His dad told him that was a necessary skill because in his line of work, you could never guarantee you were coming home with both arms. 

With his wand in his right hand and the colt in the left, he pointed his wand at something electrical looking - possibly the thing Beetee invented - and yelled, “ _ Wingardium Leviosa!”  _

The thing made a metallic groaning noise as it lifted off the ground, it’s odd shape twisting this way and that as it steadily rose into the air. Dean fired the gun once and hit his mark. The small contraption exploded in sparks and what looked like smoke. He hoped that Beetee hadn’t been planning on bringing whatever it was to Purgatory, because it was now lying in ruins on the ground. A couple of his professors clapped, and while he received no such applause from the Death Eaters, they were definitely paying attention to him. 

He repeated the same levitate/shoot maneuver with two other objects that had been laid out in preparation of the training, each time flicking his wand to send the items shooting sideways before he fired. He was thankful that his aim was true, because he’d never attempted such a thing left handed and been almost beside himself with nerves that he wasn’t going to be able to pull it off with so many people watching. 

He figured he had about four minutes left at this point, and he glanced around again. He realized quickly that the trap he had set looked incredibly unimpressive as it was, and the only way to remedy that was to actually catch something. He eyed the niffler briefly, and remembered Newt droning on and on about them one day at the beginning of the school year when they had served detention together.  _ Shiny… find something shiny.  _ His eyes quickly scanned the room, but nothing jumped out at him. He glanced to the purebloods and decided to take a risk. “ _ Accio jewelry!”  _

Several hauty exclamations were heard as earrings, necklaces, watches and rings flew off of their wealthy owners. He clearly hadn’t thought this through, because he was pelted by each and every one of the pieces of shiny gold and silver jewelry that came at him. He scrambled to pick them up and sprinted over to the trap he set as he heard the niffler squeaking excitedly behind him. He tossed the prizes into the trap and ran as quickly as he could to the niffler cage.  _ “Alohamora!”  _ His voice was hoarse from nerves and the sudden exertion, but the second the cage’s door sprang free, the niffler took off towards the trap. His heart thundered in his chest as he watched it step on the trigger wire, and the trap snapped closed around it. It squealed and thrashed, but wasn’t able to get free.  _ Fuck yeah, it worked. Now for the finale.  _

He hated himself for what he was about to do, but at the end of the day he knew that getting the purebloods on his side was more important than saving face. With less than a minute left on the timer, he let the faces of all the people he loved fill his mind, and he pointed his wand above the trapped niffler. “ _ Morsmordre!”  _

His stomach gave an unsettled heave at the sight of the Dark Mark that he’d just conjured into the training room. He’d had half a mind to do it right and kill the niffler first, but Newt hadn’t gone yet and he knew he would need the creature alive and unharmed if he had any hope to succeed. Dean wasn’t disappointed in the looks on the pureblood families’ faces as they glanced up at the skull and snake symbol that represented Voldemort. Dean thought it was gross and almost cheesy, but it seemed to have achieved the end he was looking for. 

He looked to each of his professors in turn, hoping they’d be able to understand why he did it, and not assume that he was giving in to the Death Eaters. He couldn’t tell from their faces, and he wasn’t close enough to say anything without being overheard by everyone else. He racked his brain for some sort of symbol he could give them, but nothing came to mind other than --  _ wait. I don’t know if she’ll get why I’m doing it, but…  _

Dean started whistling the beginning notes to The Lion Sleeps Tonight, his eyes focused solely on Professor Mills. Her eyes flickered with something like recognition, but whether there was any understanding there, he wasn’t sure. He wanted desperately to ask her if his brother was okay, if Sirius was okay… if  _ they  _ were okay with all of the added security that Voldemort had placed at the castle, but he knew that would be a mistake. Any sign at all at this point that he wasn’t on board with the Death Eaters would nullify what he’d just done. He set his jaw and looked to Flickerman. 

He bit his tongue quickly, but forced his voice to lose any bitter edge that had been building. “May I be dismissed?” 

Flickerman grinned almost evilly. “My, my, my. Look who finally learned some manners.” 

Dean wanted to scream. Wanted to curse him, shoot him, hurt him, do  _ something  _ other than what he actually did. He bowed his head slightly, setting the colt back down where he got it from and pocketing his wand. 

“I learned my place in this world.” He had chosen his words carefully there, because while they meant one thing to Flickerman and all of the other people in that room, they meant something entirely different to Dean.  _ My place is helping people. My  _ **_peace_ ** _ is helping people. And I’ll do whatever I gotta do, sacrifice whatever parts of me I gotta sacrifice in order to help my friends.  _

Flickerman didn’t catch the double-meaning, which Dean supposed was good. “No, actually. You may  _ not  _ go. Your change of heart has also brought about a slight change of plans. You get to meet the boss. Come with me.” Flickerman turned, Crane flanking him as they walked to a door towards the back of the room. 

Panic shot through Dean like fireworks.  _ He can’t possibly fucking mean who I think he means.  _

“Now, Mr. Winchester, or I might start to think that was just for show,” Flickerman called over his shoulder in a sing-song voice. 

Dean found his feet and followed quickly, the sound of his own heart drumming erratically against his chest drowning out almost everything else.  _ This is it. I pushed too far this morning, they never had any intention of letting me get sponsors or even go to Purgatory at all. I’m gonna get killed, right fucking now, by Voldemort himself.  _ His steps became sluggish with this realization and he nearly tripped more than once as he forced his limbs to keep moving. Inside of the room was a single book on a single table. No sign of other Death Eaters or, thankfully, Voldemort. 

Dean’s relief was short lived as Flickerman stood by the book, Crane on it’s other side. “Touch it and it will take you to him. I must warn you, our Lord is skilled at Legilimency, which is the practice of reading minds. I advise you not to lie to him. He doesn’t take kindly to falsehoods.” Flickerman sneered again. “It was nice knowing you, Dean Winchester. I’ll be sure to send your brother Sam whatever is left of your body.” 

Dean considered running, but he had nowhere to run to. Even if he managed to get past Flickerman and Crane, there was still an entire room of Death Eaters out there waiting for him. He had no choice, and he knew it. He only wished in that moment that he’d thought to kiss Castiel one more time. 

He placed a shaky hand on the book and was ripped from the room. He landed roughly in a chair at a long dining room table with at least ten seats on each side. Seated at the head of the table, was Lord Voldemort. 

Dean had seen photos of him but wasn’t prepared for how truly horrible he was. He didn’t appear to have much of a nose, just two little slits where his nostrils should be. It was incredibly distracting, and Dean had to force himself not to stare at it. He was completely bald, with eyes redder than any ruby Dean had ever seen.  _ That’s gotta be magic, nobody fucking looks like that without magic.  _ He noticed how his skin seemed to pull grotesquely over his bones, the milky white flesh sticking out in stark contrast to his jet black robes. The biggest snake that Dean had ever laid eyes on was curling it’s way across the floor, and Dean stiffened to the point of looking like someone had just placed a binding curse on him. 

“Nagini,” Voldemort stated simply. Even his voice was snake-like, if that was even possible. “And you… who are you, exactly?” His words were slow and drawn out, deliberately filling space. 

Dean swallowed hard and allowed himself exactly three extra seconds of panic before straightening up in his seat and clearing his throat. “Winchester. Dean Winchester.” 

Voldemort hissed. “You will address me by ‘sir’ or ‘Lord,’ or I will make sure Nagini gets mudblood for dinner.” He seemed to sniff the air, and then he let out an almost disgusted breath. “You reek of it. Filthy muggle blood… why are you here?” 

Dean’s eyes were flicking between Voldemort’s, and he realized he likely looked like a scared little boy. He forced himself to pick an eye to stare at and leveled out his voice. “I was sent here, by Flickerman and Crane.” He remembered himself and added, with no small amount of sarcasm, “ _ Sir.”  _

Voldemort studied him for a period of time that was much too long to fit into Dean’s comfort range. “You proved yourself in some way… how?” 

The warning about Voldemort being a mind-reader rang through his head, and he tried to clear his mind. He focused solely on what happened and not the motivations behind it. “I conjured your mark. When it was time to get sponsors, I… did the spell to conjure the Dark Mark.” 

“Oh?” If Dean didn’t know any better, which he did, he’d think that Voldemort was actually amused by this. “And how is it that a mudblood such as yourself came to know such a spell?” 

This was easy. “I paid attention in Dark Arts. Cr-- Professor Crane taught us in our first lesson.” 

Again with the prolonged, awkward studying. Dean got the distinct impression that he was trying, and perhaps failing, to read Dean’s mind. “And why did you conjure the Dark Mark? Do you wish to join me now, save yourself the trouble of the Games I have so kindly put in place for you? Did you think you’d gain some sort of favour with me?” 

_ Lie, Dean. This is what humans are good at. This is how people become President, or survive impromptu encounters with evil fucking bastards. Lie your ass off. Lie like your dad just caught you and Cass in the backseat of his Impala.  _ “No, I didn’t think it would gain me favour. I was told I needed to learn my place in this world. I guess I just learned it quicker than the others.  _ Sir.”  _

If Voldemort sensed the lie, he made no move to punish Dean. “Ahh, but see… that’s where you’re wrong. You have no place in this world. None with your particular…  _ disease  _ do. The Games are merely a means to an end. I have heard that you and the other sacrifices have chosen to work together. Touching, touching, I’m sure. But do you know what awaits you in Purgatory, boy? Monsters. Low born, savage monsters. All of those creatures your father killed --” He paused at Dean’s startled expression and grinned the most hideous smile Dean had ever seen. “Oooh  _ yes,  _ I know all about your father, John Winchester, and the things he hunts in the night. It’s poetic justice to me that those very same beasts will be hunting  _ you  _ come tomorrow night. Purgatory is where those creatures go when they die. It’s Hell for monsters, in every sense of the word. So you can rebel against me all you wish. You can make your secret plans and put on your little show… but when it comes down to it, the students are  _ never  _ the ones to kill each other.” 

Dean gaped, no longer able to control his expression. Voldemort pressed on, seemingly enjoying his little monologue. “Did you think you were the firsts? The firsts to defy me and what I’ve built?” He laughed, and the sound was cold and piercing. “Nearly every set of tributes before you has done the same thing. And they’ve all met the same… bloody ends.” Voldemort’s smile was nothing short of sadistic when Dean’s fists clenched and he swallowed audibly. “You were the first to engineer a successful escape attempt, however. I’m sure I have your father to thank for that, and don’t worry… he will be repaid in kind.” 

Dean shuddered at the words and finally found his voice again. “You leave my family alone you sick fuck!” He was on his feet, adrenaline and fear for his family overtaking any sense of rationality. “They never did a god damned thing to you, nobody did. My dad eats pissants like you for breakfast, so  _ go ahead.  _ Go after him. It’ll be the last fucking thing you ever do.” The second the threat left Dean’s mouth, he wished he could take it back.  _ No, fuck, shit, what have I -- save it, Dean, fucking back track,  _ **_beg,_ ** _ for fuck’s sake do something before he actually does go after your dad!  _ Words were failing him again, because Nagini was inching ever closer to him, her jaw snapping menacingly. 

Voldemort seemed unphased by Dean’s outburst. “I doubt he’s worth my time. I’ll be sure to send someone else after him though… he can’t fight us off forever. Our numbers are too large, to vast to be overtaken. You should have just let me have your brother, Dean. Your dad would be safe, your mother would be safe… you would be safe. Instead, I’m going to make sure that you see the bloody, torn bodies of every single person you ever loved.” 

“Why! I’m just a fucking kid, I’m not a threat to you! I barely managed to get four people out, and from what Flickerman and Crane said, you guys nearly found them again!” His anger was creeping to the surface again, fighting fear for dominance in his mind. 

“You’re correct, Mr. Winchester.  _ You  _ are not a threat to me. I could kill you right now and barely have to raise my voice to do it. It is your mindset that I take issue with. You have inserted yourself into something far bigger than you, and now I will make an example of you to anyone else foolish enough to follow the same path. You may go now, before I change my mind and kill you outright.” 

Dean didn’t need to be told twice, he reached for the PortKey book but was cut off by Voldemort. “Oh, when you get to Purgatory… you’ll find a particularly vicious vampire named Benny. Tell him Lord Voldemort sends his regards.” 

Dean threw his hand onto the book and was transported back to the small room just off of the training area. The door was shut and he was alone, so he tossed the book back on the table and sank down to the floor, every part of him shaking. 

  
  


**_Castiel:_ **

Castiel paced the meeting room, his mind running through all the possible scenarios of what could occur.  _ What if the potion stations a mess? What if- what if there isn’t any ingredients left? Or- or the plants. I could probably handle plants but Rue’s probably exerted that station. And where the hell is Dean? _

Castiel shifted his eyes to clock and realized it was slowly approaching the thirty minute mark. They had kept Dean twenty minutes longer than they were supposed to. 

“Ah, sorry about the hold up, Mr. Novak.” Flickerman grinned, nodding to him. “If you’re ready, we can go now.”

“Where’s Dean?” Castiel demanded, stepping back from them. “Where the hell is he?!” He had watched everyone else return, but  _ where the hell is Dean? _

“Easy now, Castiel. Don’t go hurting yourself just yet.” Crane crossed his arms and joined in on the pacing. “You see, Dean’s smart. Much smarter than any of us ever realized. We had to take him out, unfortunately.”

“You’re lying!” Castiel shouted, glaring at the both of them. “You’re both fucking liars! Where is he?!”

“Watch your mouth, Castiel.” Flickerman narrowed his eyes at him. “He’s dead.”

Castiel’s eyes were welling with tears, his anger rising. “What did you do with him?!”

“Killed him.” Seneca shrugged, stopping his pacing as he turned to Castiel.

“You’re a liar!” Castiel shouted, reaching forward and shoving Crane with all his might. “Where is he?!”

“Dead.” Flickerman answered this time. “Keep your hands off of him, or I’ll remove them entirely.”

Castiel felt as if he was going to fall to the ground. He swallowed hard and clenched his jaw. “I swear to God if any harm comes to him…”

“The damage is done, Castiel. He’s  _ dead _ . What do you not understand about that?” Flickerman asked with almost a hint of sympathy in his voice.

Castiel closes his eyes and clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. His entire body was shaking because honestly, Dean being dead was the most unlikely thing. 

“Now, if your little tantrum is over, we’d like to begin your session.” Crane pushed.

Castiel didn’t answer verbally, he just nodded once and tried to compose himself, knowing he’d have to be strong.  _ Dean would want me to be strong. _

All too quickly, Castiel was in the very familiar but unfamiliar training room. He refused to look at the sponsors up above, and instead made his way to the potions table. His eyes scanned the shelf behind it, looking for various ingredients. He started listing each one in his head, before there was a voice over the intercom.

“Um, Mr Novak, you may begin,” Flickerman sneered. Castiel looked to the clock and realized he had already wasted an entire minute. He swore under his breath as he went to work on making a potion. 

_ This isn’t going to wow them enough, do something more. Two things at once- show them you can multitask.  _

Castiel set his potion to simmer and quickly ran over to the guns. He grabbed the same one Dean had shown him how to use on day three, and began loading it as he raced back over to the potion table. 

He got there just in time to notice the potion simmering so he grabbed the squill bulb and juiced it into the cauldron, stirring vigorously with one hand, while turning towards the targets with the other. 

_ Aim. Breathe. Squeeze.  _ Castiel squeezed the trigger with his entire hand while blowing out his breath, watching the bullet soar and land slightly off centre to the target, but better than he could’ve ever imagined.

He set the gun down and began to chop up anemone-like growth on the back of Murtlap, adding that to the cauldron. 

He grabbed a dash of tincture of thyme and threw it in, his movements with the stirring hand slowing down now. He reached for the gun again and cocked it with one hand, turning back to the targets.

_ Aim, breathe, squeeze.  _ He does the movements in order and watched as the bullet soared through the air and landed smack dab in the middle of the target.

Castiel set the gun down again and focused solely on the cauldron, swallowing down any thoughts of Dean.

He pulled his wand out once the potion was complete and waved it over the cauldron in a figure eight pattern while saying , “ _ Felixempra!” _

He breathed out when his Liquid Luck potion was brewed correctly and glanced at the clock.  _ Three minutes. What can you do for three minutes.  _

He abandoned the potion station and walked over to a table he hadn’t seen on any of the other training days. Resting on top of it was a star chart.

Castiel squinted at it and finally looked up to see the sponsors. He scanned his eyes through the professors, noticing Hanscum, Mills, Crane and then his eyes landed on someone he thought he’d never see again.

_ Cinna. _

Professor Cinna met Castiel’s eyes and winked at him. Castiel tilted his head and looked back down at the star chart _.  _

He picked up the quill and shifted his eyes to the chart, then over to the side where he found a telescope. He pointed it up at the sky and groaned audibly when he realized the star pattern was unlike anything he’d ever seen. 

Not willing to give up, he began scribbling down the stars and their names while continuing to look through the telescope. He knew he was running out of time but was determined to finish this.

He finished charting the stars and decided to let some of his anger out about the Dean situation. He scribbled down an extra sentence.

He set his quill down, breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon. He looked to the clock and watched it tick down from three.  _ Three… two… one… _

He chanced a glance to the sponsors again, realizing Cinna was the only one clapping, nodding as he did. 

Castiel swallowed hard and picked up his star chart, his eyes scanning over his work. The landed on the sentence he had scribbled at the bottom of the parchment.

He clenched his jaw and braced himself, turning the parchment so the sponsor could see. On the bottom, written in a large enough font so the sponsors were able to see it were four simple words.

**_Prepare for the Uprising._ **

He watched as sponsors jaws dropped, his eyes landing on Cinna who was still clapping. He then shifted his eyes to Flickerman and Crane who, although trying to seem unaffected, were definitely looking a little put off.

With one final burst of confidence, Castiel crumpled up the chart and tossed it to the ground. He gave a mocking bow, before he was sent back to the house alone.

When he landed he looked around quickly, noticing all the other tributes but not seeing Dean. His heart raced and he gripped at his hair.

“Novak, woah!” Finnick shouted, stepping closer to Cass to steady him. “What the hell happened in there? And where’s Dean?”

Castiel shook his head quickly and closes his eyes, the tears streaming down his face now. “H-he’s dead! They- they killed him! D-Dean’s dead!”

Finnick scanned Castiel’s face and shook his head. “Nah, you’re fuckin’ with me. This is all some sick joke, right?”

Castiel shook his head again, slumping down against the wall. “N-no. I don’t- he’s-...”

Rue ran up to him and grabbed onto his leg. “Cass, you have to calm down, you’re going to hyperventilate. H-Here.”

She reached into her pocket and handed him the vial of Draught of Peace he had made for her on day two of training. “Drink it, I didn’t take it all.”

Castiel took the vial all too eagerly and drank it. Instantly he felt a calming sensation wash over him as he tilted his head back against the wall. 

Newt sat down next to him. “They wouldn’t kill him, Castiel. It has to be a mistake, maybe… maybe a lie they told you to unsettle you before your turn.”

Castiel shook his head slowly, still not bothering with the tears as he tried to control his breathing. “If he wasn’t dead before, I just signed his death warrant.”

That got Finnick’s attention. “What?” 

Castiel swallowed hard and didn’t meet Finnick’s eyes. “You heard me, Finn. I acted out of anger and-.” He breathes out, squeezing his eyes shut.

“And  _ what,  _ Novak?! What the fuck did you do!” Finnick was on his feet, walking towards Cass. 

Castiel opened his eyes and stood, prepared for whatever Finnick was going to do to him because deep down he knew Dean probably just died because of him. He spoke in a voice that showed no emotion, his eyes half closed as he watched Finnick. “I promised them an uprising.”

Finnick sighed heavily. “Oh, is that all? Christ, Novak, you actually scared me for a minute.”

Castiel tilted his head at Finnick. “That wasn’t- you don’t think that’s a big deal?”

“It’s not that, I mean… I’m honestly a little impressed with you. I didn’t think you had it in you. I’m just saying, I can’t really be too mad at you about that… because all I ended up doing for mine was quoting a speech from The Dirty Dozen which was basically riddled with threats of war and rebellion.” Finnick shrugged. “Guess we both had the same idea.” 

Just then, Dean slowly walked around the corner, shaking his head. “Easy now, Finnick. I don’t think your little brain can handle any ‘big ideas,’ you might hurt yourself. Not to mention… the Braveheart speech was better. You shoulda gone with that one.” 

Castiel gasped loudly at the sight of Dean and pushed himself off the wall, moving to Dean in a swift motion and wrapping his arms around him, holding him tightly. “You’re not dead!” He whispered loudly, his face in Dean’s neck.

Dean looked startled. “Not -- what? Who told you I was dead?” 

Cass didn’t loosen his grip, he clutched onto the back of Dean’s shirt. “Crane and, and Flickerman! They- you didn’t come back with them and-...” he closed his eyes.

“Yeah, cuz those two are the friggen poster children for trustworthiness, huh?” Dean finally wrapped his arms around Cass and squeezed him. “I’m alive. It’s gonna take more than a couple of B-list dickbags to take me out.” 

Castiel pulled back and pressed his lips to Dean’s, relaxing into him, his trembling stopping.

“Ooh, wait a minute… the prayer from Boondock Saints!  _ That’s  _ the one you shoulda gone with, Finn.” Dean pulled back slightly from Castiel but stayed close to him, one arm wrapped tightly around his waist. “You gotta do it with the accent though or it doesn’t count.” 

Castiel kept both hands on Dean, afraid he was going to disappear again. Finnick chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, whatever, Winchester. The hell were you anyways?”

Dean tensed, but it passed quickly. “Uhh… apparently Flickerman didn’t like my dog and pony show, so he sent me to Voldemort.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he looked to Dean. “He  _ what _ ?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, the guy’s just evil. I’ll let you guys decide if I’m talkin’ about Flickerman or Voldemort. Anyway, I had an enlightening little chat with our resident overlord and then booked it back to the training center.” 

At the insistence of pretty much everyone, Dean recounted his conversation with Voldemort. “Yeah, so… he’s a dick, end of story.” 

Rue’s eyes were wide. “And he just let you go?” 

Dean shook his head. “Killing me there wouldn’t have done him any good. He needs me to die in Purgatory. Needs us  _ all  _ to. I don’t entirely think he plans on anyone making it out alive this time.” 

“Yeah, well that bastard’s got another thing coming. I’m not dying because you idiots picked a fucking fight with the most powerful wizard alive.” Cato pushed himself off the wall and walked towards them. “And… neither are any of you. I’m on board now. What is this, Team Free Will or something?” 

Castiel grinned. “You know what… I like the sound of that.” 

\---------------------------

Later that evening, Flickerman and Crane returned to the house. They didn’t offer so much as an apology for the lie they told Castiel about Dean, but he wasn’t entirely surprised about that. 

They were transported this time to a sort of banquet hall. The walls were adorned with portraits, and Castiel recognized some of the previous Mudblood Games victors with what was undoubtedly the pureblood families they were placed with after winning. He found himself wondering where they were now; and if they’d succumbed to the life they were given or if they were fighting back, even silently. He contemplated their group for a moment and tried to work out who would be the next one to have their portrait hung here as an eternal reminder, if any of them survived at all. 

Each tribute took a seat in one of the rows of chairs that had been set up in front of a small stage. Gathered there were the professors that were allowed to sponsor tributes and the pureblood families that would be ‘adopting’ them. 

Flickerman walked to the front of the stage, his voice magically amplified even though it was quite unnecessary for the intimate space they were in. “It is time to find out who, if any of you, will be receiving help from a sponsor in this year’s Mudblood Games. This is the 13th annual Games, and as such, we have allowed a mix of thirteen professors and pureblood families. We had originally planned on having twelve tributes, but even the best laid plans sometimes go awry.” 

Dean snickered next to him. “That’s what they’re callin’ being outsmarted these days? Going awry?” 

Flickerman either didn’t hear Dean or simply didn’t care. “Each sponsor will take the stage, state what they’re offering, and who they’re choosing to give it to. If a sponsor decides  _ not  _ to gift anything, he or she or they will simply remain seated. I don’t expect we’ll hear a lot of talking this evening.” Flickerman smirked at Finnick and Newt, who were sitting closest to him. 

Rue, on Cass’s other side, scooted her chair closer to him. Cass reached a hand out and put it on her knee, squeezing gently. “It’s going to be alright, Rue. I’m sure you did amazing, they’re going to be tripping over themselves in order to sponsor you.” Rue bit her lip and remained silent, her eyes affixed to the stage. 

“Without further ado or fanfare, let us begin. And as always… may the odds be ever in your favour.” Flickerman stepped to the side, making room for the first of the sponsors. It was Professor McGonagall up first, and Cass was pleased to see she was stepping forward.  _ She’s chosen to sponsor someone!  _

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips as she looked out over the tributes. “As you well know, there is something more vital to life than magic itself. Water. With that said… I am gifting you all the spell, ‘ _ Aguamenti.’  _ This is normally taught to my N.E.W.T. level students, but I have been unable to do so the past several years. This spell will create water from nothing. May you use it well.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he let out a breath of relief. He hadn’t even thought about how vital something as simple as water could be. The hand that wasn’t on Rue’s knee moved to take Dean’s hand, squeezing it gently. 

Professor McGonagall stepped back, offering a sad, apologetic smile to them as if she was embarrassed she couldn’t do more. Professor Hanscum took her place, smiling more sweetly at the kids. “Hiya, long time no see, fellas!” She looked down at Rue. “And lady! Anywho, I don’t have a lot to offer, but what I can do, I will.” She reached into the bag she had slung over her shoulder, and pulled out a very large book. “It’s Goshawk's Guide to Herbology.” 

Rue’s eyes widened beside Castiel, looking over at him with hopeful eyes. Castiel nodded slowly.  _ It’s got to be for Rue. Come on, Professor Hanscum. _

Professor Hanscum shifted under the weight of the book. “I don’t know much about the plants you’ll find in Purgatory, but I bet with a book like this, Rue Marsh could have them all figured out in a day.” She set the heavy tome down on the ground in front of her and pointed her wand at it. “ _ Reducio.”  _ The book shrank down into a much more manageable size, and she held it out to Rue with a smile. “Just use  _ engorgio  _ when you need it back to its normal size. Use it well.” 

Rue grinned and stood slowly, taking the book from Professor Hanscum. “Thank you! I’ll use it incredibly well, I promise!” She sat down again, holding the book to her chest.

Next in line was Seneca Crane, as he was both the Dark Arts Professor and the Head of Slytherin House. He remained seated, waving a hand dismissively to signal he wasn’t going to sponsor anyone. 

Professor Mills quickly stood to take his place. She paced the stage slowly with her hands behind her back. “This was a tough one for me, guys, it really was. I wish I could sponsor you all, but rules are rules. Leave it to Professor McGonagall to find the loophole, though, am I right?” She smiled half-heartedly, and even that faded when she saw no one was returning it. “I wish I could do something to help more of you, but this little number is the best thing I’ve got.” She pulled her hands from behind her back to reveal a shimmering, almost translucent cloak. She put it on over her shoulders and disappeared completely from the neck down. “This one’s for you, Finnick. You’ve managed to sneak out of the common room enough times that I figured you’d appreciate the extra help hiding from people trying to catch you.” She pulled the Invisibility Cloak off of herself and tossed it down to Finnick, who caught it with a grin. “Use it well.” 

Finnick held the Cloak and looked up at Professor Mills, nodding a silent ‘thank you’ to her, before setting it on the table in front of him.

Caesar Flickerman stared almost jealously at the cloak, but fixed his attention back on the stage as Professor Cinna stepped forward. “Now, I don’t have a lot of fancy words, spells, or magical objects to hand out. I’m just a guy that loves the stars, and it seems I’m not the only one.” He conjured a thin, rolled up piece of parchment with his wand and caught it with his other hand. He looked down at Castiel. “May you always find your way in the darkness. Use it well.” He bowed his head and leaned off the stage, extending the scroll out to him. 

Castiel tilted his head but stood, stepping towards the stage as he took to the scroll. He nodded once to Professor Cinna. “Thank you.”

Professor Cinna winked at Castiel before returning to his seat, and when Castiel turned around to sit down again, Dean was rolling his eyes playfully. “I bet it’s a love note.” 

Castiel kicked him under the table as he sat down, wanting to unroll the parchment to see what it was, but deciding not to yet. He held it in his hand, brushing his thumb up and down.

Dean shifted in his seat as Professor Trinket exchanged places with Cinna. She looked nervous and sad, and her shrill voice cracked as she spoke. “Oh, these things always make me so emotional. Look at all of you, desperate for help and not knowing if you’re going to get it or not. It’s just  _ devastating.”  _ She wiped what appeared to be a fake tear from her face, and looked to Newt. “I know you have a connection to magical creatures. Even the most savage of beasts can be  _ charmed  _ by a bit of well-played music.” She waved her wand and conjured a harp, repeating the shrinking spell Professor Hanscum used to make the harp small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. “Use it --  _ play it  _ well.” She handed the tiny harp to Newt, and just maybe her tears became real as she sat back down. 

Professor Crowley stood up, his face the very picture of boredom. “Novak, congratulations. I’m gifting you the vial of Felix Felicis that you brewed during your trial. I damn near kept it for myself, it’s  _ that  _ good.” His rolled his eyes and tried to sound as though he was being put through some horrible ordeal, but it didn’t quite work. “May you find luck when you need it most. Use it well.” He tossed the vial to a  _ very  _ surprised Castiel, who caught it.  _ Two sponsors? _

To his left, Dean beamed. “Cass! Look at you go, man!” Cass blushed and nudged him with his shoulder. “Shut up.” 

When Professor Crowley took his seat, it was time for the pureblood families to decide whether they were sponsoring, adopting, or forsaking the Chosen. 

The first family that was given an opportunity to sponsor someone, the Avery family, passed. The man who appeared to be their representative just stood there staring blankly at all of them as if he’d never seen a room full of less impressive people. 

It came as little surprise to anyone when the notorious Malfoy family chose to adopt Cato. Lucius Malfoy made a show of presenting the various things they were gifting to Cato, who appeared to be trying very hard to look impressed. Sneak-o-scopes, something called a Hand of Glory which supposedly only brings light to the bearer, guns, swords, machetes, some sort of dried, compact food, blankets, and different layers of clothing like t-shirts and jackets and boots, all magically shrunk to fit in a single backpack. “I  _ know  _ you’ll use it well.” 

Cato bowed low and uttered a string of overly grateful thanks, but Castiel didn’t miss the way the muscles in his jaw flexed as though he was struggling to get the words past his lips. He sat down, setting the backpack between his legs. 

The next two families, the Snapes and the Lestranges, passed altogether. It seemed both of them had thought they’d adopt Cato, but only one family can bestow such an ‘honour’ on a tribute, and the Malfoy’s beat them to it by rank. 

Down to just two pureblood families, Castiel started to worry for Dean.  _ Why did I get two sponsors when he didn’t get any? Why doesn’t he look concerned?  _ Indeed, Dean seemed unperturbed by the notion that he wouldn’t be receiving any extra help.  _ Maybe he just understands that we’re all going to work together, so what is gifted to one is gifted to all?  _

When the woman in the next family stood up, Castiel sucked in a breath. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place why. It became clear once she spoke. “My name is Walburga Black, and I am representing the Black family. We have chosen to adopt Dean Winchester, but we are only gifting him one thing - one thing which I believe will be enough to give him the…  _ competitive edge  _ he needs to emerge victorious.”  _ Black. That’s Sirius’s mom! It has to be, that’s why she looks so familiar! Same hair, same eyes… yes, that’s definitely Sirius Black’s mother. _

Dean blinked in confusion, but stood up. “Uhh… thanks? I guess?” 

Castiel studied Mrs. Black intently and noticed how desperately she seemed to be fighting a smile. She pulled a small gun out from her cloak and even from a distance, Castiel could recognize it as the one they’d used in the training center.  _ A single fucking gun? He gets picked by a pureblood family and all they give him is a fucking gun?  _ Castiel could feel his face heating in anger, but he forced himself to remain seated. With only one potential sponsor left, they were almost finished here and he would be able to properly express himself once they were away from this place. Dean took the gun from Mrs. Black, who seemed to hold her hand there a few moments longer than necessary as she said the customary phrase ‘use it well’, and he turned to walk back to his seat. Cass was startled to see the confused, disappointed look on Dean’s face. 

“Dean, what’s wrong? I thought that was your favourite gun,” Castiel whispered, concerned. 

Dean nodded absentmindedly, turning the gun over in his hand. “Yeah, yeah… it is. It’s just… I think it’s empty. It’s too light to be loaded. What good is a gun without ammo? Does she expect me to get close enough to pistol whip someone?” Dean’s voice was almost defeated in tone, but Castiel knew this wasn’t the time or place for that conversation. He simply reached for Dean’s hand again and looked back towards the stage. 

“And now, the representative from our last pureblood family. Please give your attention to Mr. Ludo Bagman!” 

Bagman sauntered forward with an easy grin on his face. “I am going to impart on you some knowledge, gentlemen and lady-child. Purgatory is fraught with terrors the likes of which none of you could possibly comprehend. So heed this - travel during the day, seek cover at night. Most of the beasts you will encounter are nocturnal, after all.” He grinned widely as if he’d just shared some earth-shattering secret with them all. 

Finnick broke the silence that followed. “That’s it? Your advice is to move when the monsters are asleep?” 

Bagman frowned deeply. “If that’s not good enough for you, I can alter your memories so you forget I ever tried to help you in the first place.” Finnick quickly sank back into his chair, shaking his head. “That’s what I thought.” 

Flickerman clapped his hands together. “Well, I think that concludes the Sponsoring Ceremony! If you’ll all gather your gifts, you can return back to the Holding Facility. Keep your possessions close to you tonight - more than one tribute has been robbed of their gifts in the middle of the night before the official beginning of the Mudblood Games. Tomorrow morning, you will be given a chance to eat one final meal - no time limit on this one, mind you, courtesy of the overly generous Lord Voldemort, and then you will be taken to the portal to the Purgatory arena where you will either walk through of your own accord or be bodily thrown in, it is your choice. Enjoy your last night, everyone. For some of you, I mean that quite literally.” 

Castiel desperately wanted to speak to Professor Cinna, or Professor Hanscum, or literally any professor at this point to try and get some insight about what was happening at Hogwarts. This want must have been anticipated, because the second Flickerman finished speaking and brought his voice back down to a normal volume, the Death Eaters in the room swarmed around the professors until every one of them Disapparated. 

Realizing there was nothing left for them here, each of the tributes stood up and gathered their things before making their way back to the PortKey that brought them there. They touched it and were transported back to the ‘holding facility,’ as Flickerman had called it, and were mercifully greeted by several flagons of butterbeer and two large bottles of Firewhiskey. 

Castiel didn’t hesitate this time before pouring himself a drink. Dean was right behind him, his hand outstretched for the bottle when Cass was finished. He handed it to him and took a long drink before pulling out the scroll that Professor Cinna gifted to him.

He stared at it for a long moment before finally unrolling it.

“What is it?” Dean asked, moving to stand by Castiel so he could see what it was. “Is that a star chart?”

Castiel squinted at it and nodded. “Yes, it’s a star chart, but I don’t recognize these constellations.” His eyes glanced over it as Castiel tilted his head when he noticed in black writing, on the bottom of the chart contained a note.

“You’ve always been my _brightest_ star.” Castiel read aloud, his eyebrows raising. “I don’t understand.”

“You’ve been upgraded from student to star. Congratulations, Cass.” Dean chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t know what it’s for, but I doubt Professor Cinna would gift you something that wasn’t useful in Purgatory.”

Castiel let his eyes scan over the chart and the note at the bottom one more time before he rolled it up again, tucking it into his jacket. “What about the gun the Blacks gave you?” 

Dean pulled it out and turned it over in his hand. “The fucking thing isn’t loaded, it’s not gonna do me a damn bit of good. It’s got one,  _ maybe  _ two bullets in it tops?” 

Castiel nodded to it. “Look and see.” 

Dean released the chamber and his brows immediately furrowed. “What the -- there’s a note or somethin’ stuck in here where one of the bullets should be.” 

Castiel’s curiosity mounted. “A note? What does it say, Dean?” 

Dean unrolled the tightly bound parchment and his eyes flicked back and forth across it for several long moments. Cass watched in silence as Dean’s eyes repeatedly darted back up to the top of it as he re-read it half a dozen times. 

“C’mon, Winchester! What the hell does it say? Share with the class.” Finnick had joined them, looking over Castiel’s shoulder at Dean. 

Dean read aloud: 

**_Dean,_ **

**_Sirius is safe, thanks to you. He made it home just last night and told us everything. We have hidden him somewhere that You-Know-Who can’t find him. Words cannot express how grateful we are to you and the other children for helping Sirius escape that horrible fate. Should you be the one to make it out, I assure you your life here will be pleasant. I will never ask you to do something you’re not comfortable with, and I’m sure Sirius would love to have the company._ **

**_Oh, he wishes that I tell you that he stopped at Hogwarts first before coming home. The other escaped tributes are all safe, as is your brother Samuel. You and the others have started quite a movement there. The Death Eaters have been thrown out of the castle entirely by the Headmaster and some of the professors. Your brother is quite the leader, so I’m told._ **

**_We’re all rooting for you, Dean. Stay safe._ **

**_With gratitude,_ **

**_Walburga Black_ **

There were tears in Dean’s eyes as he finished reading and pulled the letter close to his chest. Castiel’s heart swelled with hope and gratitude because he suddenly understood why Walburga Black thought this singular gift would turn the tide for Dean. The news that both his brother and his best friend were safe would be  _ exactly  _ that - a change in tide. He pulled Dean close to him and rested his head on his shoulder as Dean wrapped his arms tightly around him, his body vibrating. “That’s excellent news, Dean. I’m so - I’m so grateful to her for finding a way to tell you.” 

It seemed this news was enough to shatter what little control Dean had over his emotions, because for the first time since volunteering... Dean broke down and sobbed. 


	20. Midnight Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale of Part Two!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're seeing this chapter first, turn back. Chapters 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 were all posted today. Enjoy!

**_Dean_ **

It took Dean an embarrassingly long time to quit crying. Finnick had laughed himself hoarse at the sight, but Dean didn’t care. His friends were safe, his  _ brother  _ was safe. He was better than that, he was fighting back. “ _ You’re brother is quite the leader.”  _ The words settled in Dean’s chest and he didn’t think he’d ever been more proud of Sammy. 

He laid in bed now on their last night before the trip to Purgatory and looked over at Cass. “I’m uhh… yeah. Sorry about that.” 

Castiel rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. “You don’t need to apologize, Dean. Your brother and your best friend are safe, I’m sure that’s a huge relief.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, you got no friggen idea. I mean, I figured they would be, but hearin’ that it’s true is… well, I needed that.” 

Castiel rolled onto his side so he was facing Dean. “And the Blacks adopted you. That’s pretty awesome.”

“Yeah, I mean… it coulda been worse, that’s for sure. I coulda been picked by the Malfoys or the Lestranges.” Dean huffed a laugh. “I think I’d rather just stay in Purgatory.” 

Castiel grinned and closed his eyes. “I can understand why. The Malfoys are…” Castiel shuddered. “Bad. Just bad.”

“You know they pulled their kid, Draco, out of Hogwarts and sent him to Durmstrang because he wasn’t learning enough fucked up shit at Hogwarts?” Dean raised his eyebrows, rolling closer to Cass. “That’s what I heard anyway.” 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that were true. He’ll fit in perfectly there.” Castiel nodded, opening his eyes again.

Dean shook his head. “It’s just nuts, what kinda fucked up parents actually  _ want  _ their kids to learn the Dark Arts? I thought what Crane was teaching us at Hogwarts was bad enough.” Dean reached over and took one of Castiel’s hands, interlocking their fingers and trying not to make a big deal out of it. 

Castiel looked to their hands and shrugged. “It’s just the same as Cato’s parents selling him out to You-Know-Who to get him tossed in the games. It’s messed up in various ways.”

“Why do you do that?” Dean asked, curiosity in his voice. “Call him You-Know-Who, I mean. I know a lot of people do that, but it’s just a name, y’know? It’s not like he’s gonna eat you if you call him Voldemort.” 

Castiel chuckled. “No, but Nagini might. When my dad used to teach me magic he always referred to…” he cleared his throat “as You-Know-Who. I didn’t know who he was referring to until I learned about Lord- You-Know-Who from a book. I asked my dad if that’s who it was referencing and he got mad, but I think it was because he was scared.”

Dean shuddered at the memory of the giant snake. “Yeah, okay. I’ll give you the Nagini thing. But I don’t know, I mean…  _ my  _ dad always told me that ‘fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself,’ so… I guess I just never bothered callin’ him anything other than what he was actually called.”

“And you’re still alive to tell the story, so maybe nothing bad happens. I don’t know, just the thought of…” Castiel lowered his voice significantly, “Lord Voldemort is terrifying.”

Dean grinned. “Ehh, it was kinda disappointing, actually. I don’t know what I expected to see, but he wasn’t it. It looked like he spent too much time in the special effects trailer on a movie set or somethin’. He didn’t even look real. It was more…  _ unsettling  _ than scary, really.”

Castiel nodded and smiled slightly. “I don’t know why I believed them when they told me they had killed you. Flickerman he- he smiled and he  _ actually _ looked sympathetic. I don’t know, Dean.”

“Flickerman looking sympathetic shoulda been your first clue it wasn’t real. I don’t think that guy would understand sympathy or empathy if it smacked him across the face with a metal death stick.” Dean breathed a laugh and started rubbing his thumb over the back of Castiel’s hand.

Castiel closed his eyes again and moved even closer to Dean. “I’m just glad it was a lie, honestly. A terrible, messed up lie, but at least it was one.”

Dean kissed the top of his head. “What, would you miss me or somethin’, angel?” 

Castiel grinned but shook his head. “Me? Miss you? No, I don’t think I would.”

Dean chuckled, and the words were out before he could rethink them or make any attempt to stop them. “Yeah, yeah. I love you, too.” He stiffened and his eyes widened.  _ Maybe he didn’t hear me.  _

Castiel’s eyes opened quickly and he pushed himself up on his elbows so he could see Dean’s face. “What did you say?”

Everything was suddenly very hot. “Uhh… nothin’, I didn’t -- I didn’t say anything.” 

“No, no you did.” Castiel flicked his eyes back and forth between Dean’s. “Please, Dean… what did you say?”

Dean let out a slow breath as he studied Cass’s face. On instinct, he wanted to try and play it off as a joke, and maybe he would have if they weren’t 24 hours out from certain death. He reached his other hand up and brushed his thumb along Cass’s cheekbone. “I said… that I love you, dumbass. Maybe you need to get your ears checked before Purgatory. You think they’ve got doctors here?” He smiled, hoping Cass would see it for what it was. 

Castiel didn’t move for a long moment, he just kept his eyes on Dean, before shifting them to Dean’s mouth, his voice coming out in a whisper. “I love you too, Dean.”

Dean used the hand still on Cass’s face to wrap it around and pull him down, kissing him. This was probably  _ much  _ easier than words, anyway. 

\----------------------

They had fallen asleep at some point, their bodies wrapped around each other. Dean woke up, his eyes adjusting to the still-dark room. He tilted his head down to see Cass still sleeping with his head on his chest and snoring quietly. Dean smiled, squeezing him gently and wondering how long they could stay like this before someone came and physically removed them. Judging by the patch of sky that was visible out the window, they had maybe four or five hours left until it was time to go through the portal. He shifted his leg, bringing it up higher between Cass’s. He tilted his angel’s chin up and kissed him gently. “Wake up, sunshine.” 

Castiel moved around slightly but opened his eyes, bringing his hands to his face to rub his eyes. “Oh. Oh, good morning.”

Dean knew it was very much  _ not  _ a good morning. This was October 1st, but worse… much worse, because it wasn’t the Choosing they were headed to - it was the actual Games. “Did you sleep okay? I’m sorry I woke you up so early, I just… guess I wanted to spend some more time with you when we weren’t fightin’ off vamps and werewolves and shit.” 

Castiel smiled through his yawn and shook his head. “I don’t mind that you woke me up, Dean. I slept alright, just a little bit nervous, I suppose.”

“Don’t be. Whatever is gonna happen is gonna happen, but we’re gonna be okay. I can’t tell ya how I know that, I just… do.” Dean leaned down and kissed Cass’s cheek. “Did they say what time our breakfast was gonna be?” 

Cass shook his head as his eyes closed again. “No, but they said that there was no time limit this time, so that’s something.”

“Yeah, but we gotta take it easy. I was thinkin’ about it, and these bastards have never done anything nice for us. I think they  _ want  _ us to eat like pigs after starvin’ for days. Maybe they think it’ll make us sick, or slow us down or somethin’ when we get there. Make us easy targets cuz we’ll be slow.” Dean’s stomach growled at the thought of food, but he suppressed the urge. “I’m not sayin’ we shouldn’t eat… just that we need to be smart about it.” 

Castiel nodded slowly. “And I suppose you want to get up and warn the others about it, right?”

Dean glanced out the window again. “I think we’ve got some time, but yeah. Since we’re all on the same side, I don’t want them slowing us down either.” 

“I understand, that makes sense. I just… it’s going to be a while until you and I can share a bed again. I doubt Purgatory is going to have them.” He frowned, opening his eyes.

Dean kissed him quickly. “I’m not going anywhere yet.” 

Castiel’s frown slowly turned to a smile as he nodded. “Good, I’m glad. Do you think we’ll all be in the same spot when we step through the portal?”

Dean shook his head. “No, I’m almost positive that we won’t. I have a feeling when we step through, we’re gonna end up in different places, probably nowhere near the portal. Unless there’s more than one, in which case… we might stay together at the beginning. Either way, I have a couple of different ideas about how we can find each other, but I’ll save those for when everyone else is awake, too.” 

Castiel nodded but tensed, squeezing his eyes shut. “Rue… she can’t… if she’s alone she…”

He tightened his grip on Cass. “We’ll find her, angel. I’m not gonna let anything happen to either one of you, okay?” 

Castiel bit his lip and pressed his body against Dean more, shivering. “Okay.”

Dean fell silent, running his hand up and down Cass’s back. He knew he just made a promise he couldn’t keep, but he also knew that deep down, Cass wouldn’t expect him to. They were just kids, and this is what kids tell each other when they’re facing certain death. 

They stayed like that for as long as Dean dared, but when he saw the sun start to come up, he knew it was time. “Cass, angel, I know this sucks, but we gotta get up now.” 

Castiel shifted and pulled back from Dean, swallowing hard. “Yes, you’re right.”

Every part of Dean felt strangely empty without Cass pressed up against him, but he forced himself to move before he could lose his nerve. He got out of the bed and opened the top drawer in the single dresser they had in the room. “Looks like they got us new clothes.” He pulled out a dark red long sleeved t-shirt with a yellow number five on it. “Five? I don’t get it.” He dug around further and pulled out a mustard yellow shirt with a black number six on it. “This one must be yours, but I really don’t get it.” He tossed the shirt to Cass and was pleased to find they’d been given regular jeans and boots to wear. He got dressed quickly. 

Castiel sat up and pulled the shirt on tilting his head. “Sam was the fifth year tribute, right? Charlie was the sixth. They’re organizing us by our Houses and years, though I suppose if you volunteer you don’t get the courtesy of having your own year on your shirt.”

“Right, yeah. I guess we took their places, so it makes some sort of sense. I wonder what they’re gonna do about the missing Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin sixth years and the Ravenclaw fifth year. Probably nothin’, unless those bastards managed to find people to take their places.” He was suddenly very concerned about this and whirled around to face Cass. “They can’t do that, right? They won’t have had training or a chance to get sponsors.” 

“They can’t do that. If Headmaster Shurley got rid of all the Death Eaters at Hogwarts, he wouldn’t let them take more students. They’re allowed to choose twelve, they got their twelve. That’s it.” Castiel rolled out of the bed and grabbed a pair of jeans, shifting on his feet before pulling them on.

“Okay, yeah, but I’m just sayin’... I wouldn’t put it past them to bring muggles into this just to fill the spots.” He shuddered at the thought and walked towards the door. “You ready for this?” 

Castiel finished tying up his boots and stood straight, looking to Dean. He seemed to have an internal battle with himself before he nodded once. “Yes.”

Dean wasn’t surprised. After everything Cass had told him he’d been through, it made sense that he’d put on a brave face and be able to handle this better than anyone else. Dean smiled sadly. “C’mon, then.” He opened the door and then reached his hand out behind him for Cass’s. “Together.”

Cass took Dean’s hand quickly and squeezed it. “Together.”

He led Cass out of the bedroom and back to the meeting room, where they were greeted by Newt, Finnick and Rue. Beetee walked in a few moments later, and the group sat down at the big table. 

“Anyone seen Cato or the other one?” Dean asked, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Rue shook her head. “Finnick and I have been up for hours, they haven’t shown up yet.”

Dean bit his bottom lip and then stood back up. “We gotta talk, but as a group. I’ll be back in a minute.” He walked out to Cato’s room and knocked. “Hey, rise and shine.” 

A few moments later, Cato opened the door, already dressed in his dark green Slytherin shirt with the silver ‘7’ on it. He saw it was Dean and turned his head back into the room to somewhere out of Dean’s line of sight. “C’mon, Carrow. It’s showtime.” 

Dean didn’t wait to greet Alecto, he turned on his heel and walked back to the meeting room and took his place next to Cass. Cato and Carrow filed in shortly after, and once everyone was seated, Dean cleared his throat. “Alright guys, today’s the day. Now, I know nobody really wants to think about what’s to come, but we have to. We need to be prepared.” He looked around at each of their faces, his chest tightening. “First thing’s first. It’s gonna be a free-for-all at breakfast today, but don’t overdo it. I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that they want us to stuff our faces and suffer for it later, so make sure you eat - but do it slowly and don’t gorge yourselves, got it?” 

Finnick looked at Dean in mock horror. “Good grief, if Winchester is turning down free food, it  _ must  _ be serious.” His expression went back to normal and he nodded. “In all honesty, I was thinking the same thing. I’m just glad I wasn’t the one that had to tell  _ you  _ to go easy on the pancakes this morning.” 

Newt looked between them both. “But there’s not going to be food like this in Purgatory, shouldn’t we eat so we have enough energy to sustain ourselves for…  _ God  _ knows how long?”

Dean shook his head. “First of all, eating like a cow will only buy you maybe an extra day, if that. Our bodies are already getting used to barely eating, if you stuff yourself now, it’s gonna throw that off. Trust me, nobody wants to sit here and eat like it’s friggen Thanksgiving more than me, but we gotta be smart about this. I’m tellin’ you… eat until you’re full, but stop there and eat  _ slow.  _ Don’t let the fear of what’s to come make you keep eating.” 

Castiel nodded in agreement. “You’re allowed to eat, it’s going to be nice to not have a time limit. But that came from You-  _ Voldemort,  _ and I don’t think he did it out of the kindness of his heart.”

Dean smiled encouragingly at Cass because he finally called Voldemort by his name. “Alright, so that’s settled. Onto the next uh… item on the agenda. We’re probably gonna get separated when we get to Purgatory. Our first step should be finding at least one other person, but try to find as many of us as you can.” 

Rue moved closer to Cass as he looked down at her. “We’ll find you, Rue. You don’t have to worry, okay?”

Rue nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll just- I’ll walk in one direction.”

“That’s actually where I was going with this, Rue, good work. So, I have no idea what kinda terrain we’re gonna be dealing with in Purgatory. There’s not a lot of lore about it, at least none that I’ve ever found, so we’re going in blind. But if you do this…” Dean pulled his wand out and rested it flat on his open palm. “ _ Point Me.”  _ The wand swivelled and stopped, now pointing somewhere to Dean’s left. “It’s called the Four-Point spell; basically it makes your wand act like a muggle compass and will point you north from wherever you’re at. If we all do it and all walk north, eventually we’re gonna find each other. I figure if we add  _ periculum  _ in there every hundred yards or so, we should start to see red sparks from other tributes pretty soon. So head north and watch out for sparks, that make sense to everyone?”

Everyone nodded, as Cato looked to Dean. “You know, that’s actually a smart plan.”

Dean’s eyes found Cato and he searched for sarcasm where there seemingly was none, but he immediately started searching for flaws in his own plan just the same. “Yeah, unless we’re not the only things in there that are attracted by red sparks. Maybe we should amend that from every hundred yards to every two hundred yards, and don’t send them up after dark.” 

Castiel looked to Dean. “Dean, your plan is good, okay? Don’t stress about it, your plan is good.”

Dean shifted uncomfortably. The last time he thought a plan was good, it had disastrous consequences for all of them.  _ But four people got out. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but let’s be honest… it worked out better than you coulda dreamed it would. This one will be the same, listen to them.  _ He nodded. “Yeah, okay. So that’s what we’ll do if we’re separated at the jump. Any uhh… any questions?” 

Everyone shook their heads as the food appeared on the table in front of them. Dean’s initial instinct was to dig in quickly like he always did, but he forced himself to show some restraint. He focused on slowly bringing his hand up and filling his plate, only taking half of what he actually wanted. He picked up a fork and slowly stabbed a chunk of roasted potato and brought it to his mouth, deliberately chewing slowly.  _ Lead by example, Winchester. If you’re brother is leading some kinda rebellion at Hogwarts, you can show a few people how to eat without gorging themselves.  _

Castiel followed Dean’s lead and looked around to see everyone else doing the same thing. He nudged Dean and shifted his eyes around the table.

Dean followed Cass’s gaze as he chewed on a piece of grilled chicken. His shoulders relaxed when he realized that for the most part, it seemed like people were listening. He didn’t know why he had such a strong feeling about this, and maybe he was overreacting - but it was better safe than sorry, especially now. 

They ate in silence, the lack of sound broken only by the scraping of silverware on quickly emptying plates. When it seemed like everyone was done, Dean nodded. “So uh… I guess it’s gonna be time then, huh? Didn’t they say they were coming pretty much right after breakfast?” 

“We did, and here we are.” Flickerman and Crane appeared, grinning evilly. “How’s everyone feeling? Great, I don’t care.” Crane looked around the table.

Dean rolled his eyes. “Better than you, by the looks of it. What’s the matter, Flickerman? Not sleeping well?” 

Flickerman raised his eyebrow. “I’m sleeping perfectly fine, Mr. Winchester. Thank you for your concern. Now, would everyone like one last little update before we go?” 

Dean’s jaw clenched,fighting the urge to yell out that he already knew everyone else was safe thanks to Mrs. Black’s letter, but he remained silent. Finnick, however, did not. “We don’t give a shit about whatever lies you’re about to tell. Save it.” 

Flickerman squinted at Finnick. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at him. “How about  _ you _ save it.  _ Silencio!” _

Dean was on his feet before Flickerman got the full word out. His heart was pounding in his chest and adrenaline coursed through him, but he was done letting Flickerman and Crane harass them. He moved behind Flickerman and pointed his own wand at the side of the man’s throat. “You’re outnumbered, asshat. Maybe it’s time  _ you  _ learned a little bit of fucking respect. Undo it.” 

Flickerman tensed, but didn’t move to undo it. “Make me, Mr. Winchester.”

Those words had always been dangerous for Dean. From being a kid and chasing Sammy around the house to much more intimate contexts, Dean had always taken those words as a challenge he couldn’t back down from. He glanced once at Cato and Finnick, refusing to look at Cass because he might lose his nerve. Cato stood at the cue, pointing his own wand at Crane as Dean focused his mind entirely on the task at hand and growled, “ _ Imperio.”  _

Dean had only had to cast this spell once, last year in his own Dark Arts class. He’d heard the stories about what happened in Castiel’s, and his had been mild by comparison. But Dean knew what to look for in the spell, and he could feel the moment Flickerman submitted.

Castiel’s eyes widened as he pushed himself off the wall, watching Dean. “Dean, what the hell are you doing?!”

Dean ignored Cass. “Go on, Caesar. Let him go.” His voice was challenging and low, his wand still jabbed into the side of his neck. 

Flickerman’s movements were almost robotic as he pointed his wand at Finnick, undoing the curse. “ _ Finite incantatem.”  _

Finnick cursed loudly at Flickerman, and Dean got yet another stupid, stupid idea. He was almost sweating with the effort of retaining control of Flickerman, but he looked at Cass. “Do it to Crane. I know you can. Do it, do it now!” 

Castiel swallowed hard but nodded, seemingly putting his full trust in Dean. He pulled his wand out and pointed it at Seneca Crane. “ _ Imperio!”  _ Crane had been attempting to draw his own wand when Castiel’s control swept over him. Dean’s heart was beating rapidly, if they failed now, they were dead for sure. 

Dean set his jaw, silently commanding Flickerman to take Beetee and Carrow back to Hogwarts. In a quick movement, Flickerman had ahold of them both and Disapparated out of the house. Dean swallowed hard; he knew the curse worked long distance but had no idea if he was strong enough to hold it. He silently prayed to whatever gods were listening that the bond his and Castiel’s wands shared was enough to keep both curses intact until everyone was safe. 

Flickerman appeared again moments later, looking bewildered. “Why did I do that?” 

Dean had a moment of panic where he knew his control of Flickerman was waning. He could barely hear over the sound of his own blood rushing through his veins, but his eyes sought out Cass.  _ Breath. In, out. In, out.  _ Like before, he allowed his breathing to match Castiel’s until it steadied enough to continue. He re-focused his efforts on keeping Flickerman under the influence of the Imperius Curse as he heard Castiel command Crane to take Finnick and Newt, and he heard the familiar  _ whoosh  _ as the three disappeared. 

Dean reached his hand out to Rue. “Come on, little Rue. You’re gonna go with Cato, okay? And Cato’s gonna make sure you’re okay,  _ aren’t you, Cato?”  _ Dean’s eyes and wand were still focused on Flickerman, but he made his voice as threatening as possible under the circumstances. 

Rue looked between Cass, Dean, and Cato and nodded silently, moving to stand near Flickerman.

Cato looked at Dean. “What about you and Novak?”

“We can’t go until everyone else is out, I don’t think my concentration will hold through Apparating. Just go, we’ll meet you guys at Hogwarts. If something goes wrong, you tell my brother -- you tell him--” Dean’s words were lost in his throat. What could he possibly convey to his brother in a single sentence? “Just go. Flickerman, take Cato and Rue back to Hogwarts.” 

The man obeyed, but his eyebrows were furrowed like he wasn’t quite sure why he was waiting. They disappeared and Dean squeezed his eyes shut, trying to throw all of his remaining energy into controlling him from such a long distance. 

He felt the moment Flickerman snapped out of it. Dean’s eyes shot open, and he looked to Cass with wide, terrified eyes. “I lost him. Cass, run!” 

Castiel’s eyes widened. “Run?! Run where?!”

Dean was frozen. “I don’t --” His words were cut off when he was hit by a stunning spell. Flickerman had returned, holding Rue by the back of her dark yellow shirt, his features contorted in anger. “Oh, you’ll pay for this, Winchester.” 

Castiel looked between Rue, Flickerman, Crane and Dean. He pulled his wand out and pointed it in the direction of Crane and Flickerman. “ _ Obliviate!” _

Both of the men dropped their wand arms and looked around, bewildered as the Memory Charm did its job. Flickerman let go of Rue, who was shaking with what Dean assumed were unshed tears. “What --” Flickerman turned around. “Where is everyone else?” 

Dean stood back up. “See, I knew you weren’t getting enough sleep. You already took the others, you son of a bitch, they’re already in fucking Purgatory. You said you were saving the best for last, which was why you left us here.” 

Castiel pulled Rue away from Flickerman and shifted his eyes to Dean, nodding slightly. “Yes, you two took the other tributes already.”

Flickerman straightened his cloak. “Erm, right. Well then, let’s not waste any more time. I’m eager to see the back of you three.” Flickerman nodded to Crane, who then grabbed Castiel and Rue and disappeared. He turned his gaze to Dean. “I really should just kill you now and be done with it, but we’re already four tributes short. And in the end, what difference does it make if you live a couple of extra days?” 

_ Nine, you smug son of a bitch. You’re nine tributes short, you’re just too thick to realize it.  _ Dean shrugged. “Let’s go then. Adventure awaits, am I right?” 

  
  
  


**END OF PART TWO**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part Three will be posted in it's entirety on Monday, March 30th. We're officially at the halfway point, and for any of you that managed to make it this far... thank you. Seriously, thank you. - Ketch


	21. Run Through the Jungle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PART THREE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to part three! If you made it this far, I love you. Grab a blanket, something stiff, and maybe some tissues. This is gonna be a bumpy ride.

**_Hogwarts: Sirius_ **

It took an unbearably long amount of time for Sirius Black to convince his mother to let him return to Hogwarts. She’d had him hidden away once he managed to escape from the holding facility, and he had seriously regretted coming home at all after making it back to Hogwarts that day. But eventually, the lack of Death Eater presence at the school was enough that Sirius managed to get her to agree to send him back. 

He walked into the Gryffindor Common Room and immediately raced up the spiral staircase to the dorms. “Winchester!” He threw open the door and barged in, ignoring how early in the morning it was when he’d arrived back. “I’m back, get your ass up!” 

Sam jolted awake, sitting up quickly. “Sirius? What the hell?”

“Mom let me come back, it was a nightmare convincing her, but I’m here. Anyway, I’ve got news of your idiot brother if you want to hear it.” Sirius sat down on the edge of his old bed and leaned forward. “You paying attention?”

Sam rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands but nodded. “Yeah, I’m paying attention. Is Dean okay?”

Sirius scoffed. “I wouldn’t call it ‘okay’, but he’s alive. My mom saw him at the sponsor thing, and I think she managed to sneak him a note about what you and the others have been up to here. She said he looked good, and so did the others. I think they’re supposed to go to Purgatory today.” 

Sam tensed and sat up more. “Then we have to…” he closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I can’t lead these guys if I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Your brother managed it, and he’s got even less of a clue than you do. You Winchesters are made of some weird shit, you know that?” Sirius eyed him, speaking truthfully. 

Sam scoffed a laugh, opening his eyes. “Alright, well, let’s round up- wait, what time is it?”

Sirius grimaced. “Too fucking early. But that’s good, it means we’ve still got time to rally the troops. Luckily for someone, I paid attention when I made my daring and heroic escape.” His eyes were twinkling, and his mind was racing rapidly through plan after ill-conceived plan. 

Sam swung his legs off the side of the bed. “Right. Let’s do that then and we can meet at the Quidditch pitch. No one should be out there yet.”

“No, no, we can’t risk going outside yet. I know they told us there are no more Death Eaters  _ in  _ the school, but nobody said a damn thing about  _ outside  _ of it. Have you ever heard of the Room of Requirement?” 

Sam squinted. “Once, maybe. Why?”

“Because, my dear, lumbering giant, it’s the perfect place for secret meetings. It’s up on the seventh floor across from the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy. It’ll look like solid wall when you get there, but you need to pace in front of it three times focusing on what you need. So in this case, concentrate on needing a place to meet. The door will appear and let you in.” Sirius stood. “I’m going to sneak my way over to the Hufflepuff common room and grab Charlie and the others. Did you manage to get any of the Ravenclaws on your side?” 

“Ash Harvelle, but that’s about it. Luna Lovegood wouldn’t give me a straight answer. She’s weird.” Sam stood and grabbed his robes.

“Understatement of the year. Alright, you’re gonna need to go get Ash - I think you have to answer some sort of a riddle to get into the Ravenclaw common room and I’m shit at those. I’ll meet you up on the seventh floor, yeah?” Sirius moved to the door and waited for Sam to answer him. 

“Yeah, I’ll meet you up there. Don’t get caught.”

Sirius grinned. “Those bastard Death Eaters couldn’t catch me escaping, I don’t think a couple of insomniac professors are going to give me much trouble.” He ducked out of the door and back down the staircase. He double-checked to make sure he had his wand and quietly pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady. 

He walked as quietly as he could and stayed close to the wall as he made his way through the corridors. Dean had told him last year where the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room was, but he wasn’t a hundred percent certain he remembered. He remembered something about barrells and the kitchens, so he slowly snaked his way down to where the entrance to the kitchens was. Sure enough, he was met by a stack of large barrels.  _ Was it the second row or the bottom row? Shit, I really should have paid more attention to what he was saying.  _ Sirius chose a random barrell and tapped on it with his wand, and was rewarded with a splash of…  _ is that fucking vinegar? Christ, okay, that was wrong. Hel-ga Huff-le-puff, I’m pretty sure that’s how I have to tap, but… which one?  _

It took him three more tries and two more vinegar baths before he finally tapped on the right barrel. It opened up and he crawled through it, landing in the large circular room. He hadn’t really thought this far ahead, he knew in the Gryffindor common room there were spells on the staircases to the dorms that would stop boys from going into the girls dormitories, and that’s where he needed to be. He looked around, clicking his tongue against his teeth rapidly. 

Luckily for him, his abrupt entrance must have made enough noise to wake at least someone up, because he heard footsteps on the staircase to his right. He tensed, but tried to remind himself that this was Hufflepuff and not Slytherin which meant he wasn’t likely to be met with a lot of resistance even if it wasn’t someone he was actually looking for. 

When the girl descended the steps far enough to come into Sirius’ line of sight, he let out a breath of relief. “Johanna!” 

She looked over at him, her eyebrows raised. “Black? Your mom let you come back here?”

He nodded quickly. “Yeah, yeah, look - today’s the big day. I need you to go get Charlie and Annie and Wiress and whoever else you’ve got up there that’s on our side. Sam’s gathering the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws. We gotta move.” 

Johanna watched him, crossing her arms. “Where are we going?”

Sirius groaned internally. “Where the fuck do you think we’re going, we’re gonna go rescue everyone else! Now go, we don’t have a lot of time.” 

“Sheesh, don’t rush me, I’m going.” Johanna turned and moved, climbing back up the stairs.

Sirius paced the common room while she was gone, biting the skin around his fingernails. Now that he knew they were going to do it, he was suddenly very nervous. If this went poorly, he’d be right back where he started. 

Johanna returned a few minutes later with Charlie Bradbury, Annie Cresta and Wiress. “Mission accomplished.”

Sirius nearly jumped out of his skin with anticipation. “Quickly then, we need to get up to the seventh floor.” He pushed and crawled his way back out of the barrel, doing a quick sweep of the corridor with his eyes before climbing out and waiting for the others. 

Johanna and the rest of the Hufflepuffs followed Sirius out of the common room as Charlie spoke. “Sirius, do you know if Castiel’s okay? He volunteered for me and I-”

Sirius stopped his hurried walking long enough to answer her. “He’s not okay, none of them are. My mom saw them, she said they’re alive and look unhurt but they’re going into Purgatory today unless all of you shut the hell up and follow me.” 

Charlie nodded slowly. “Okay, sorry. Lead the way.”

Sirius half-sprinted towards the moving staircases that would lead them to the seventh floor. Realistically he knew they would still beat Sam there because he had a lot more people to gather and had to answer the riddle correctly to even find Ash, but the sense of urgency was too strong to ignore. He took the stairs two, sometimes three at a time and was completely out of breath by the time they made it to Barnabas the Barmy. He paced quickly, muttering to himself that he needed a place to meet, and on his third pass a door appeared. He opened it quickly and gestured for the others to head inside. 

They all rushed inside and stepped against the wall to make room. “How many others are coming, Black?” Johanna asked, watching him.

Sirius looked around at the room. “Sam, obviously, and likely James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin… Ash Harvelle. I don’t know who all you guys got on your side while I was gone, but I’m also pretty sure Jo Harvelle and Lisa Braeden will be coming.” 

Johanna nodded. “Alright, well, how long till Sam arrives with the others? And what’s the plan once they get here?”

“I suppose you’ll need to ask your fearless leader that question. I’m just the compass.” Sirius was picking up random things that were placed around the room, continually in awe of how it works. “As far as how long, I guess that depends on Sam.” 

The sound of pacing was heard outside, and then the door opened and Sam was there, ushering the Gryffindors, the singular Ravenclaw and the Slytherins into the room. 

Sirius turned to them just as the last of the newcomers entered the room and closed the door. His eyes widened as he looked at Professor Cinna, and then glared at Sam. “You brought a professor!” 

Professor Cinna chuckled quietly. “Relax, Sirius. To be fair, it’s not as if I was invited. I was alerted to someone trying to break into my House’s common room when Sam here started arguing loudly with the statue that guards our room.” 

Sam shrugged. “There was more than one answer to the riddle. It was ‘give me food and I will live, but give me water and I will die. What am I?’ And I said ‘thirst,’ but the statue was under the impression that the only acceptable answer was ‘fire.’” 

Professor Cinna nodded. “Your answer, while true, wasn’t what we were looking for. Perhaps that’s why you’re a Gryffindor and not a Ravenclaw.” He smiled at Sam, and then looked to Sirius. “I sort of made him tell me why he was trying to break in and steal one of my students, and when I heard what you all were planning to do, I thought you could use a hand.” 

Sirius blinked. “You want to help us?” 

Cinna simply nodded again. “I was never a fan of the Games, nor was I thrilled when they stole some of my favorite students. If you have a plan to get them out, I’m all ears.”

Sirius took a moment to take stock of who else had joined them now that his shock at seeing Cinna had abated. Just as he’d suspected, he saw James, Remus, Peter, Jo, Lisa, Ash, and to his surprise, Jack Morningstar and Amycus Carrow - Alecto’s twin sister. He gave them an awkward nod and fought the urge to run to James. They had already had their reunion when he arrived back after his escape, and now it was time to orchestrate more of them. 

Sam cleared his throat. “Uhh, alright, so get this - Sirius knows where the tributes are being held. We apparently have a pretty short window before my brother and the others are taken to Purgatory, and we won’t be able to help them after that happens. According to Sirius, they’re being guarded by both dementors and Death Eaters, so our best bet is to try and take as many of them out as we can before we even hit the ground. Now, I’ve got some ideas on how to do that, but…” Sam trailed off and glanced at Cinna, who raised his hands defensively. 

“Hey, in this room, don’t think of me as your professor. I’m just a guy joining your cause.” Cinna sounded sincere, and Sirius nodded his appreciation to him. 

“Okay, so, then here’s the plan…” 

\--------------------------

Twenty minutes later, they were leaving the Room of Requirement and heading down to the Entrance Hall. With Cinna with them, they no longer had to sneak around in the shadows, which made the trip down much quicker than it would have been without him. 

Sirius was a bundle of nerves, but he was comforted by the confidence that Sam was exuding. He’d detailed the plan to them like it was a grocery list, not potentially a suicide mission. Sirius was all too aware of the dangers that were awaiting them, but he was past the point of letting fear dictate his actions. Dean and Castiel and the others had made it so Sirius had a second chance, and he was prepared to return the favour or die trying. 

Cinna and Sam halted everyone at the double doors that led outside. Sam spoke, his voice level and clear. “Does anyone have any questions before we go? Once we’re in the air, we won’t have time or an opportunity to stop. We’re rapidly running out of time, and we might be out of time already.” 

Sure enough, once everyone shook their heads signaling that they had no questions, Sam opened the door to reveal that the sun had already come up. Sirius had no idea how long they’d taken getting everyone together and prepared for this, and had a sudden sinking feeling that they’d taken too long. He pushed past the others and made his way out of the castle, no longer willing to waste another second. 

His progress was halted quickly by rapid movements in his peripheral vision. He turned his head to the left and his jaw dropped. There, just outside of the magical border that had been re-established after the Death Eaters had been booted from the school to stop people from Apparating and Disapparating inside the castle… were Beetee Latier and Alecto Carrow. Sirius took off at a run towards them, the thundering of footsteps behind him letting him know that everyone else was following. 

He reached them first, grabbing onto Beetee with both hands. “What! How - where are the others?!” Sirius’s eyes scanned them both for injuries as Beetee answered and Amycus nearly tackled her twin brother into the ground. 

“I don’t know, it all happened so fast. One minute Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane were attempting to get us to leave for the portal, and the next -- Dean and Castiel had them both under the  _ Imperius curse.”  _

“Shut your whore mouth, no they didn’t!” Sirius couldn’t believe his ears, but the proof in front of him was hard to refute. 

If Beetee was offended by Sirius’ language, he didn’t show it. “Yes, Caesar used the silencing charm on Finnick Odair and the next thing anyone knew, Dean had his wand to Caesar’s throat.” 

Sam cut off Sirius’s response. “He what?! What happened next?” 

Beetee shook his head. “He told Castiel Novak to cast the same curse on Seneca Crane, which he did. The next thing I knew, Dean was telling Caesar to bring me here, and he did.” 

Both Sam and Sirius were grinning wildly.

“That’s my brother!” 

“That’s my best friend!” 

They didn’t have time to question Beetee further, because just moments later Seneca Crane arrived, Newt Scamander and Finnick Odair in tow. Sirius allowed himself one moment of panic when neither of those faces belonged to Dean, but he threw his arms around Finnick all the same. “Holy shit, you made it out!” 

Finnick squeezed him and then pushed him off as Crane disappeared. “Yeah, it’s a madhouse back there. I think Winchester and Novak have lost their damn minds.” 

Sirius chuckled, his nerves and surprise making the sound come out choppy and awkward. “As if they had minds to begin with.”

Sirius turned to see Newt hugging his fellow Hufflepuffs, and Charlie was crying. A sense of relief washed over him, because it didn’t appear like their suicide mission was going to be necessary anymore. 

“I knew that crazy son of a bitch wasn’t going to give up.” Sirius looked at Sam. “You should be proud of your brother,  _ and  _ his boyfriend.” 

Sam was beaming, and also ignoring Sirius completely as he hugged Finnick. Sirius opened his mouth to say something else when Flickerman appeared again, Cato Chester and Rue Marsh with him. His grin faded quickly when he saw the expression on Flickerman’s face. “That doesn’t look like someone under the influence of the Imperius Curse, Sam. We should run.” 

It took the others a half a second to come to the same conclusion Sirius had, and they took off at a sprint back towards the safety of the castle as the last of Dean’s influence on Flickerman faded. Sirius remembered too late that Flickerman had still had ahold of Rue when he’d taken off, but a selfish fear of ending up in Purgatory after everything he’d done to get away forced his feet to keep moving forward.

The Entrance Hall was soon filled with the sound of heavy, panicked breathing as the students made it safely back into the castle. Cinna shouted over his shoulder as he sprinted towards the stairs, “get back to your common rooms, I’m going to sound the alarm!” 

Sirius looked frantically towards the door, waiting for Rue and Cato. When Cato burst through the doorway without the Hufflepuff girl, Sirius’s heart sank. 

“Where is she!” Sam shouted, pushing his way back towards the double doors. “Where’s Rue?!” 

Cato shrugged, moving immediately towards the stairs down to the dungeons, the rest of the Slytherins close behind him. 

Sam disappeared out to the grounds and came back a few moments later, his shoulders slumped. “She’s gone, so is Flickerman. It doesn’t look like Crane came back either.” 

Sirius walked to him. “So, what, that’s just… it? What about Dean and Castiel?” 

Sam shook his head, his jaw clenched. “They’re not going to make it, Sirius. Be realistic. You saw the look on Flickerman’s face, it’s a miracle my brother managed to hold that spell as long as he did.” Sam abruptly let out a yell, turning and slamming his fist into the door. 

Newt spoke quietly. “It was time, and if they’re not here already… Flickerman and Crane wouldn’t have wasted more time. Castiel, Rue, and Dean are probably already in Purgatory. It’s over. They’re gone.” 

** _Purgatory: Castiel_ **

Castiel blinked his eyes open, staring up at the sky. He sat up slowly and looked around, realizing he was sitting on the ground in Purgatory. He jumped to his feet quickly and pulled out his wand, his other hand patting himself down. He relaxed slightly when he felt the star chart and the Liquid Luck potion, letting out a shallow breath.

“Alright, Castiel. You can do this,” he spoke out loud to himself and surveyed his surroundings. It was dry, the dirt on the ground was coarse, and the trees weren’t as full with leaves as Castiel was used too. He nodded to himself and opened his palm, setting the wand down on top of it, remembering Dean’s instructions. He closed his eyes briefly and whispered, “ _ Point me.” _

When he opened his eyes, he watched his wand spinning in slow circles until it decided on a direction which meant it was pointing North. Castiel clutched his wand at his side now and took off in a run in that direction, hoping and praying that Rue and Dean remembered to do the same thing.

He ran for a while and then stopped, raising his wand. “ _ Periculum!” _ Red sparks shot out of the tip of his wand and Castiel watched them shoot up into the sky. He waited patiently to see a response from  _ anyone _ and clenched his jaw when he didn’t get one.

_ It’s fine, Purgatory’s huge, and you haven’t walked that far yet. They’re both fine, you’re fine, everything is… fine. _ Castiel placed the wand on his hand again. “ _ Point me. _ ” 

His wand swung back and forth and landed in the direction Castiel was previously walking in. He let out a shaky breath and kept walking.

Castiel was convinced he’d been walking for hours now and he wasn’t any closer to finding Rue or Dean. He had to stop walking and hide at some points when he saw creatures he didn’t recognize lumbering in the bushes beside him. 

Finding a tree, Castiel leaned up against it. He looked up to find the sun and realized it was just past noon.  _ Purgatory time and Earth time must be different. I could’ve sworn it was past noon when we got sent here, and I’ve been walking for at least three hours now. _

He took a moment to breathe and then pushed himself off the tree but paused when he heard movement. He pulled his wand out, pointing it in front of him. “Rue? Dean? Who’s there?”

The only sound that answered him was a deep, low growl. Castiel swallowed hard as he turned his head in time to see something charging towards him, before lunging for him. “ _ Arresto Momentum! _ ” he shouted, stumbling backwards as he pointed his wand at the target. He scanned his brain quickly as he backed up, bumping into the tree.

_ Werewolf. Shit.  _ In a moment of panic he pointed his wand at the werewolf and shouted, “ _ Avada Kedavra! _ ”

The werewolf let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground. Breathing heavily, Castiel took a moment to control his heart rate before pushing off the tree again. He slowly walked over to the werewolf, unable to tell if it was alive still.

Much to Castiel’s dismay, the werewolf wasn’t dead, just unconscious. Castiel could tell by the way the werewolf’s chest was rising and sinking. In a moment of panic he began sprinting again in the direction his wand instructed him to.

Castiel ran until he couldn’t run anymore and eventually stumbled to the ground. He looked up at the sky and saw the sun was setting now. He breathing steadied as he pushed himself up, beginning to walk again. 

_ Keep going. Walk until it’s dark, then find a tree maybe? Climb it? Get some high ground so all these ground monsters can’t get you. You can deal with the sky monsters when you get there.  _

He clutched his wand and pointed it up at the sky. “ _ Periculum! _ ” Again, red sparks erupted from the end of Castiel’s wand. 

Castiel kept his eyes on the sky and again waited for an answer, but after a few beats his stomach sank when his sparks weren’t answered. 

_ Like you told yourself earlier, Purgatory is huge. As long as Rue and Dean are both walking North, we’re bound to cross paths eventually, right? _ He kept walking, listening to the sounds around him. He heard the whimpering of some sort of creature, the croaking of frogs, and even the chirping of crickets. 

All of a sudden, Castiel paused and looked up at the sky, when he heard a hissing sound.  _ Sparks! Red sparks! Dean or Rue, they’re near!  _ Castiel took off in a sprint towards the sparks, using his arm to shield his face from tree branches as he ran. 

“Dean?! Rue?!” Castiel yelled, running as fast as his legs would let him. 

“Castiel!” He heard Rue’s voice. “Cass!”

The two collided and knocked each other to the ground, but Castiel quickly moved over to her, wrapping her up in a tight hug. “Are you okay?”

Rue nodded quickly, clutching onto Castiel. “Y-yes, I am. Are you?”

Castiel nodded as well but made no move to let go of her. “I’m okay, I’m fine.”

She sniffled and eventually pulled back, tear stains on her cheeks. “I didn’t know if I should’ve stopped for the night or kept going so I kept going and I’ve been hearing sounds and something dropped down on me from the trees but I froze it in its spot and ran and-”

“Shh.” Castiel shushed her, pulling her to him again. “You’re safe, I’ve got you.”

“H-have you seen Dean yet?” She asked, her voice shaky.

Castiel shook his head and let go of her, getting to his feet. He helped her stand up as well, looking around. “No, I haven’t. I’m assuming you haven’t either?”

She shook her head slowly. Castiel let out a slow breath.  _ That’s fine. Dean can handle himself, at least you’ve found Rue. Now that you’re together, you can find Dean.  _

“Have you drank any water yet?” Rue asked, pulling him from his thoughts. He shifted his eyes to her and only now realized how thirsty he actually was. “You need to drink, Castiel. It’s important you stay hydrated.” She pulled her wand out and looked to him. “Cup your hands.”

Castiel did as Rue said, cupping his hands. He watched as Rue pointed her wand into his hands and said, “ _ Aguamenti! _ ”

Castiel’s hands filled with water which he immediately brought to his mouth, sipping the water from his hands. He hummed contently as the water ran through his body, his eyes closing.

“Good?” Rue asked, lowering her wand.

Castiel nodded, drying his hands off on his jeans. “Yes, I’m good. Thank you.”  
“Of course, Castiel. Should we stop for the night and make a fire? Get some warmth?”

“No, no fires. We make a fire, it will produce light and draw attention to us. We need to keep moving, are you okay to do that?” Castiel asked her, watching for any signs that she wasn’t.

“Yes, I can keep moving,” she agreed, holding her wand tightly at her side.

“Alright, good. Stay close to me, okay? It’s getting dark, and we need to stick together.  _ Point Me. _ ”

**_Purgatory: Dean_ **

Dean’s worst fears were confirmed when he landed in Purgatory alone.  _ Son of a bitch… okay, take a deep breath. You know what to do. Head north, red sparks, find the others. Simple.  _ But as he looked around at his surroundings, he realized it was going to be anything but simple. Purgatory was basically just a giant forest, but the colours seemed… muted. Dull. Even the sun shining overhead didn’t look as bright as he’d remembered from back home.  _ Home. You’ll never see your home again. Neither will Rue or Cass. This is it, look around you, Dean. You’re gonna spend the rest of your short life here.  _ He was pulled out of his thoughts by a snarling noise to his right. He gripped his wand tight in his hand and braced himself as something matching his father’s description of a ghoul came charging at him. 

_ “Confringo!”  _ The ghoul was blasted back, and Dean reached for his gun, only to remember he only had two bullets. He took off at a run rather than waste one of them mere minutes after landing in Purgatory. 

He’d barely ran a hundred yards before another creature with bloody fangs appeared between two trees in front of him. He forced himself to stop just shy of running smack into the vampire, just as the monster swung what looked like a makeshift machete at him. It sliced into the arm he’d thrown up to cover his face, and Dean staggered back a few steps. He pointed his wand at the machete and yelled,  _ “Expelliarmus!”  _ The machete soared out of the vampire’s hand and landed a short distance away from them. “ _ Langlock!”  _ Dean scrambled towards the discarded machete as the vampires legs seized up and he toppled over, snarling and growling. Some hunter’s instinct that had been instilled in him from a young age took over, and he was suddenly very glad he was strong for a sixteen year old as he heaved all of his weight behind the machete and aimed for the vampire’s throat. With a sickening noise, the vampire’s head was removed from its body. Dean let the machete fall to the ground as he struggled to control his breathing and assess the damage to his arm. Now that the immediate threat was gone, the adrenaline rush was wearing off and the pain was making its way to the forefront of Dean’s concentration. He figured the gash was too deep for  _ episkey,  _ so he pointed his wand at his arm and sang, “ _ vulnera sanentur.”  _ It wasn’t severe enough to need repeated application, and he gasped quietly when the pain stopped suddenly and the cut had healed over.  _ Just one of many scars I’m gonna add to the collection, I guess. Maybe Rue will have found some dittany.  _

With the reminder of Rue, and therefore Cass, Dean picked the machete up again and placed his wand on his hand. “ _ Point Me.”  _ It spun for a moment and pointed at his chest, so he turned around and headed north. He occasionally shot up red sparks, each time bracing himself for more attacks. None immediately came, and Dean had almost relaxed entirely on his walk north when he spotted three vampires just up ahead of him. He ducked quickly behind a tree and willed his heartbeat to steady.  _ You should double back, take the long way around. Finding Cass and Rue won’t do you any good if you’re fuckin’ DOA.  _

He tried to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible as he started moving back in the direction he came. When he thought he was a safe distance away, he booked it to the left for a few hundred yards and then used the Four-Point spell to guide him north again. He kept his eyes towards the sky in hopes of seeing red sparks, but he saw none. He wondered if he  _ would  _ be able to see them with the trees being as tall as they were.  _ I need to get to higher ground.  _ His eyes scanned the ridiculously flat terrain and he huffed.  _ Of fucking course they’re not gonna make this easy. _

As he continued to walk north, his mind wandered to all of the lessons his dad had taught him about what he called ‘supernatural monsters.’ Those lessons had already come in handy with the vampire, and Dean was positive it was just beginning.  _ If my dad could see me now… he’d probably be proud of me for the first time in my entire life. Too bad he’ll never know.  _ He ran through what he remembered about killing monsters. Behead vampires, werewolves need a silver bullet to the heart… djinn need things they’d never have access to in purgatory… on and on the list went in his mind, and he was almost startled by how many things required silver. He looked to the machete in his hand and turned it over.  _ Definitely not silver. But… it could be. “Argentifors!”  _ The machete turned to pure, solid silver in his hand, and he pocketed his wand quickly so he could run the pad of his finger over the blade to make sure it was still sharp. Dean grinned when the blade pierced his skin. He healed it quickly and sent up another shower of red sparks. 

Once again, he was disappointed in the lack of response. It had been hours now, he was sure of it, and it was getting dangerously close to nightfall.  _ If there are this many monsters running around when they’re supposed to be sleeping, how many more are gonna come out after dark?  _ He stopped long enough to drink some water, silently thanking Professor McGonagall for realizing that the  _ aguamenti  _ spell was going to be way more valuable to them than anything else she could have given. As he caught his breath, he pulled out the crumpled letter that had been delivered to him in the gun he now carried. He read the words through twice, letting the truth of them wash over him before pocketing it and moving once again. He hoped Finnick and the others were as safe as Sam and Sirius were, and as of this moment he had no reason to believe otherwise. Dean and Cass had attempted to do a Memory Charm on Crane and Flickerman when they came back to send them to Purgatory, but Dean had a horrible feeling that they’d made it too strong or somehow screwed with existing memories because the two seemed very confused as they sent Cass, Dean and Rue into Purgatory. He hoped that whatever they had accomplished was enough to keep his friends safe from retaliation or being hunted.  _ You’ll never know for sure. You’ll never hear anything about them again.  _

The small reprieve in his mood that he’d received from rereading the letter was over quickly as he continued walking. It was dangerously close to dark now, and he knew he’d have to find shelter sooner rather than later. He’d spotted a couple of caves as he walked, and his eyes now scanned the surrounding area for another one. He was also desperately hungry, and he had a sinking feeling that if he didn’t eat something soon, the sound of his stomach growling would start attracting unwanted attention. He’d been pleased to discover that Purgatory was home to several small creatures like rabbits, squirrels and lizards, so he knew that as long as he could find a spot to set a trap, he’d be okay. He just needed to find his friends first. 

Once again, he used the Four-Point spell just to confirm he was still headed north. Purgatory was a hell of a lot bigger than he’d previously thought, and at this rate he knew it could be days before he found Cass and Rue. 

He spotted another cave up ahead and made his way towards it. He tentatively approached the entrance, half expecting to find a nest of vampires or a pack of werewolves sleeping inside of it. It was mercifully empty, and Dean risked sending up one more burst of red sparks into the air above the cave before it would be too dark to chance it. He pushed a large boulder over until it mostly covered the entrance to the cave, giving him just enough room to sneak in and out of it. 

Now fully dark outside, Dean started hunting for food. He knew it was dangerous to be out in the open, but he had nothing to build a trap with and hoped he’d be able to find a sleeping animal. 

His luck seemed to be holding, because he only had to search for about a half an hour before he found a squirrel sleeping in a tree. He quickly killed it and made his way back towards the cave. He fought the urge to send up another shower of sparks, ducking inside the cave with his dinner and pushing the boulder further over until it covered the entrance completely except for about a foot at the top of it. 

_ “Lumos.”  _ In the light his wand created, he used his silver machete to crudely prepare the squirrel. He realized with a jolt that he could have just started the fire instead of using  _ lumos,  _ so he extinguished the light after pulling together some stray sticks and leaves that were strewn over the cave floor and magically lit a fire. 

Twenty or so minutes later, he was biting into his slightly charred dinner. He had to remind himself of the same advice he’d given at breakfast that morning -  _ go slow, eat until you’re full, and stop.  _ He’d eaten about a third of the squirrel when his stomach churned uncomfortably, and he realized he’d probably eaten all that he could handle. He set the rest of the meat on a rock towards the back of the cave, drank some more water, and tried to get comfortable. He wondered if Castiel and Rue had eaten, or if they’d even found each other. If they were even still alive.  _ No, knock it off. They’re both smart, and strong. They’re alive, they’re probably better off than you are right now.  _

He leaned back against the cave wall, the handle of his machete gripped in one hand and his wand in the other. He closed his eyes, trying to convince himself to sleep. They opened suddenly when he realized he was a fucking  _ wizard.  _ He scrambled back to his feet, magically moving the boulder out of his way. 

His heart was racing again as he stepped outside the cave, looking around quickly to make sure there were no monsters in sight. He quietly mumbled reassurances to himself, that the payoff would be worth the insane risk he was about to take.  _ Just fuckin’ do it.  _

He closed his eyes, picturing very clearly the shirt that Castiel was wearing when they’d arrived in Purgatory.  _ Mustard yellow, black number six. Long sleeved, pulled tight over strong ar--- damnit, Dean, fucking focus. The shirt. _ He held his wand out in front of him. “ _ Accio Hufflepuff shirt!”  _

Dean barely had time to brace himself for what was going to happen, when he was abruptly knocked to the ground from behind. He rolled quickly onto his back and squinted in the darkness. His stomach flipped. “Cass?!”

**_Hogwarts: Sam_ **

“I can’t bring you back food, Finnick, that’s not how it works,” Sam stated, his arms crossed. 

Finnick huffed, frowning. “But I’m  _ starving _ , Sammy. You don’t understand.”

“Any other dinner you could join us, but you can’t tonight. Flickerman will realize you’re here and he’ll be pissed.” Sam looked across the Gryffindor common room to him. “You, Newt, Sirius, Cato, Alecto, and Beetee can’t show up tonight.”  
“What are we supposed to do, then?” Sirius asked, entering the room from behind the painting. “Just wait until you guys get back?”  
“Exactly.” Sam nodded. He stood up and took his girlfriend Alyssa Blake’s hand. “We’ll tell you what happens and what they say, alright? Just… just sit tight.”

Sam pulled Alyssa through the painting. “God, could you imagine what would happen if Flickerman or Crane caught sight of any of them tonight?” Sam asked, shaking his head.  
“I don’t want too.” Alyssa shook her head as well. “You’re doing good, though, Sammy. With how you’ve organized everything and taken charge… you’re doing good. It’s kinda hot too.” She nudged him, smirking a little bit.

He leaned over and kissed her quickly as they walked. “Yeah, well, if it means saving Dean… I’d do anything.”

They eventually reached the entrance to the Great Hall and sauntered inside. Sam’s eyes scanned for the other members of his crew before he finally noticed them. He pulled Alyssa through the crowd and over to the table, sitting down. “Hey guys.”  
“You managed to convince the Gryffindor escapists to hang back, right?” Charlie asked, biting her nails as she was clearly nervous.  
“Yeah, they eventually agreed after whining for what felt like ages.” Alyssa laughed quietly. “Mason, did you manage okay with Newt?”  
Johanna looked up and nodded. “You don’t see him sitting here, do you?”  
Alyssa raised her eyebrows and shook her head. “No.”  
“Then you’ve answered your own question, congratulations.” Johanna rolled her eyes, seeming to be in a worse mood than usual. 

“Who pissed in your cornflakes?” Charlie Bradbury mumbled from the other side of Sam.

Amycus Carrow spoke up, “I talked to the Slytherin escapists, they’re in the Slytherin common room.”

“Perfect,” Sam nodded. “And I spoke to Beetee earlier and told him to stay in the Ravenclaw room, so everyone should be hidden.”

“Attention, attention, may I have your attention please!” Headmaster Chuck Shurley called from the front of the stage. “It is time you all received an update on the tributes.”

Sam took a deep breath.  _ Please don’t announce any deaths. That’s all I ask. Tell me no one’s dead. _

Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane took the stage, accompanied by a couple of Death Eaters. Flickerman cleared his throat before he spoke, “Good evening, everyone. We come bearing news on our Chosen.”

Alyssa squeezed Sam’s hand and moved closer to him, Sam letting go of her hand to wrap it around her shoulders instead.

“Our tributes have all gone through the sponsorship ceremony and received their items. We had sponsors from a few professors here at Hogwarts and a couple of generous pureblood families.” Crane began, hands folded behind his back as he paced the length of the stage.

_ That’s a good thing, right? Dean must’ve gotten something. With his ability to hunt in the muggle world… he must’ve impressed someone other than the Black family. _

“Your Chosen were sent through the portal this morning, but Purgatory time works differently than Earth time,” Flickerman said. “Slower. We are… _pleased_ to announce that no bodies have turned up dead yet.”  
“He doesn’t sound very pleased,” Johanna whispered. 

“Is he ever pleased?” Charlie whispered back. 

“Now, we don’t want you all to get your hopes up, it hasn’t even been a full day in Purgatory. Don’t assume your loved ones are still alive,” Flickerman continued, his eyes meeting Sam’s. “Because they won’t be. Not for long, at least.”

Sam clenched his jaw, refusing to be intimidated by Caesar Flickerman. Alyssa leaned up and kissed his very tense cheek. “Relax, Sam. He’s trying to get to you, don’t give him the satisfaction.”

“Due to the fact we had tributes escape this year, the difficulty in Purgatory has been increased. We may not even see one winner this year.” Seneca Crane sneered. “Which, Lord Voldemort has confirmed to be okay with him.”

“There will be more traps, more deadly creatures and less sources of water and food. Luckily for our tributes, our _ lovely  _ Professor McGonagall gifted all of our tributes the spell ‘ _ Aguamenti _ ’, so dehydration shouldn’t be an issue.” Flickerman nodded, messing with the ring on his finger.

“He’s lying,” Sam stated simply, noting Flickerman’s actions.

“What? How can you tell?” Alyssa asked quietly. “Besides the fact that half the shit that comes out of his mouth is a lie.”  
“Because, Lys, look at what he’s doing with his hands. He’s anxious, it’s the same as someone biting their nails or twirling their hair,” Sam nodded. “He’s bullshitting all of us.”  
“Call him out,” Johanna said, looking bored. “Let’s make this interesting.”  
“I’d rather not die today, thanks,” Charlie mumbled. “I’m hungry, I just want to eat.”  
All of them were too involved in their own conversation that by the time they tuned back in, Headmaster Shurley was speaking again. “Thank you to both Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane for that… for that… well, just for that update. They haven’t done much else, have they?”  
The Great Hall erupted with laughter and cheers, as Sam shifted his eyes to them both. They both had glares on their faces that were fixated at Headmaster Shurley. The looks on their faces is what pushed Sam over the edge into a fit of laughter.

“Alright, settle, settle,” Headmaster Shurley grinned, gaining everyone’s attention again. “I know you all must be very hungry with having to wait through the unnecessarily long update you’ve just received, so without further ado, dinner is served!”

**_Purgatory: Castiel_ **

Castiel looked around quickly, panic written on his face. “What the- Dean?!” Castiel fell beside him, sitting him up.

“Holy shit -- it fucking worked! Okay, okay… hang on a sec.” Dean held his wand up in the air, his face screwed up in concentration.  _ “Accio Hufflepuff shirt!”  _ Another few heartbeats later, Castiel was catching Rue. 

“Dean you…” Castiel started, making sure Rue was alright before moving back over to Dean and hugging him tight. “How the hell did you think to do that?”

Dean pulled back quickly. “I’ll explain in a minute, just get inside the cave. Hurry up!” He practically shoved Rue through the small opening between the boulder and the cave wall, glancing behind him anxiously. “Move, Cass, let’s go!” 

Castiel rushed through the entrance, waiting for Dean to follow. “Are you coming in!?”

Dean’s eyes were fixed on a spot in the darkness. He raised his wand as he backed up through the opening. “ _ Locomotor boulder!”  _ He guided the boulder so the cave entrance was closed again. The cave was still dimly illuminated by what was left of the fire, so Dean turned to look at Cass. “It’s time to see what these twin cores can do.  _ Protego Totalum,  _ okay? Same time?” 

Castiel pulled his wand out and nodded to Dean. “Same time. Count us down.”

“Three… two… one.” In unison, Cass and Dean shouted the incantation and an impenetrable shield sprung up around the cave. Dean breathed out, then turned and pulled Cass back into a hug. “Okay, now we can play twenty questions.” 

Castiel didn’t want to speak, he just held onto Dean tightly, his eyes closed. When Rue realized Cass wasn’t going to say anything, she spoke up. “Twin cores?”

Dean didn’t seem to be any more eager to let go than Cass was, and his jaw bounced oddly off Cass’s shoulder as he answered her. “Same unicorn supplied the cores for our wands. Crazy, huh? They’re more powerful when they work together.” 

She nodded slightly as Castiel pulled back barely, only enough to say, “have you drank?”

Dean nodded. “Oh, shit… that reminds me… if you guys are hungry, there’s some leftover squirrel over there.” Dean pulled back a little further and pointed towards the still-warm meat. 

Rue moved to it quickly and looked at Castiel. “You can have it, Rue. I’m alright.”

“Look, there should be enough for both of you, I barely ate a third of it.” Dean pushed Cass gently towards it. “Eat some, I don’t know how easy it’s gonna be to catch another one.” 

Castiel nodded to him. “Alright, Dean.” He moved over to where Rue was and divided the meat, handing her some before sitting down against the wall and eating his own. 

Dean visibly relaxed as he watched Cass and Rue eat. He took the opportunity to drink some more water, then sat down and leaned against the wall. “So what happened to you two?” 

Castiel shook his head. “Nothing. Well, I mean, I tried to kill a werewolf and it ended up only knocking him out so I ran for my life. Rue and I encountered some vampires, but we handled them the same way I handled the werewolf.”

“Good. I mean, not good that you ran into vamps and shit, but good that you handled it.” He picked up the silver machete off the ground. “I had a couple of run-ins myself, and managed to come away with an actual weapon. I got pretty lucky today, all things considered.” 

Rue eyed the weapon. “Where’d you get that?”

“Vamp. Dead one, now. You want one?” He held the machete up as if to confirm he was talking about that, and not a dead vamp. 

“No, it’s yours. I was just wondering.” Rue shrugged, watching the fire now. 

Dean put the machete down and pointed his wand at it, repeating “ _ geminio”  _ twice. Two perfect replicas of the silver machete joined the original on the ground. “There, now you’ve each got one. I don’t know how long the copies will last, but it’s better than nothing.” 

Castiel smiled and tilted his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. He was able to relax more now that he knew both Rue and Dean were alive. “How’d you decide to use that spell to summon us? How’d you even think about it?”

Dean shrugged. “I was sittin’ here, pretty much just like I am right now, thinkin’ about how bad I wanted to find you guys. I wished I could just summon you guys to me, and then I remembered I’m an actual fucking wizard and can do that kinda shit.” He shrugged with his face, looking at the ground. “I know the spell doesn’t actually work on humans, or anything living, really, but uhh… I figured if I summoned something you were wearing, you guys would have to come along with it.” 

Castiel leaned his head onto Dean’s shoulder now, smiling. “Well, thank you for thinking to do that.”

Dean grinned. “You mean ‘thank you for pining over you,’ right?” 

Castiel chuckled, leaning up to kiss him gently. “Call it whatever you want to call it, Dean.”

Rue cleared her throat, and Dean pulled back from the kiss. “Thank you for dinner.” 

Dean laughed quietly. “My pleasure, kiddo. Coulda used some salt, though.” 

Rue shook her head with a grin. “For what we’re working with, it was perfect.”

Dean seemed to remember all at once why they didn’t have access to salt. “Water, both of you. Now.” He paused for a moment. “Uhh.. please.” 

Castiel pointed his wand to his mouth and said the incantation, drinking some water before pulling his wand back and stopping it. He looked to Rue who was doing the same thing, before she pulled her own wand back. 

Dean seemed to relax further. “Okay, so we’ve eaten, we’ve had water, we’ve got some weapons… we found each other, that’s definitely good. And absolutely nothin’ is getting through that shield we put up. All in all, not the worst start possible.” 

Castiel nodded, closing his eyes again. “I couldn’t agree more, Dean.” Castiel opened his eyes and looked to the fire, realizing it was getting low. He pointed his wand at it and said, “ _ Incendio.” _

“Anyone know a spell to conjure up some pillows? That’s about the only other thing we need tonight.” Dean stretched his legs out and yawned. 

Rue shook her head and giggled. “I don’t think there is one.”

“Well, there friggen  _ should  _ be. Big, fluffy pillows too, right? Not those flat ass ones we’ve got at school.” Dean leaned his head back against the wall of the cave and closed his eyes. “It’s almost a shame we let Cato escape, the Malfoys gave him all sorts of shit like jackets and hoodies - stuff that would have made decent pillows.” 

Castiel looked over at Dean and moved so Dean’s head was resting on Castiel’s shoulder, and Castiel was resting his head on Dean’s. “I’d ditch the pillows any day to know you two were alright.”

Dean held his arm out for Rue. “C’mon, little one. Plenty of room over here.” 

She smiled slightly and shuffled over to Dean, sitting down on the other side of him. “Are you sure? I don’t want to…  _ intrude _ .”

Dean chuckled and pulled her in, not moving his head off of Castiel’s shoulder. “This whole damn place is intrusive, so you fit right in.” 

Castiel grinned and closed his eyes, interlocking his fingers with Dean’s. “I guess we better get used to it, huh?”

Dean smiled. “Not for long. Third time’s the charm, y’know.” 

He raised his eyebrow, opening his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Escape attempts. We managed to get four out the first time and five out the second time. All we’ve got left is the three of us. Piece of cake.” Dean squeezed Cass’s hand as Rue shifted, laying down with her head on Dean’s knee. 

Rue smiled, mumbling sleepily. “Goodnight, guys.”

Castiel smiled hearing Rue. “Night.”

“G’night, Rue.” Dean picked his head up and kissed Cass, then set it back down on his shoulder. “G’night, angel.” 

\-------------------------------

Castiel blinked his eyes open the next morning, not moving. His back was stiff from sitting up against the wall all night. He looked to the fire that he could tell was out from the light shining in through the cracks between the boulder and the cave wall. 

Eventually he slowly lifted his head off of Dean’s and realized he was quite thirsty as Purgatory was mostly dead plants and trees, therefore making everything dry. He pulled his wand out from behind him and turned his head, pointing the wand at his mouth. “ _ Aguamenti _ ,” he whispered, drinking for a few moments. 

Dean sucked in a breath through his nose and sat up, wincing slightly. He cracked his neck and looked down, seeing Rue still on his lap. “How long d’you think we slept?” 

Castiel pulled his wand back and shook his head. “Honestly? At least six hours, if not longer.”

Dean nodded. “Good, that’s actually a really good thing. Most of the monsters should be sleepin’ again, so we can move. We’ve got a portal to find.” 

Castiel yawned and made a move to stand, but stopped halfway. “You know, I usually protest waking up in the morning, but not here. I miss the bed.”

“Yeah, you and me both.” He looked down at Rue again. “You think I should wake her up or just try to move her? My leg’s super friggen asleep, I need to get up.” 

Castiel nodded and stood slowly, his back cracking in multiple places as he did. He moved over to where Rue was and slowly slid her off of Dean’s leg. He shimmied off his jacket and balled it up, lifting her head and then laying it back down on his jacket.

Dean stood, then hopped around for a minute and occasionally stomped his left foot. “Thanks, angel.” 

Castiel watched him, biting back his laugh. “Yes, no problem.”

Dean grabbed his wand and one of the machetes. “You hungry?”

Rue mumbled sleepily as she woke up. “I can find some berries, probably.”

Dean magically moved the boulder out of the way. “That’d be awesome, Rue. Let me just do a sweep real quick and make sure we don’t have company.” He undid the shield charm as well and then walked out of the cave, returning a couple of minutes later and nodding. “We’re good to go.” 

Rue pushed herself up and stretched, feeling for her wand. “Okay, I’ll go find some berries or something.”

Dean nodded. “I’ll see about finding another squirrel or maybe a rabbit or something. Cass, you wanna go with Rue just in case?” 

Castiel nodded and looked to her. “I can handle that, yes.” He looked to Dean. “Red sparks if you’re in danger, okay?”

“Right, same for you guys. And if we’re not back here in a half an hour, we know how to summon each other now.” Dean glanced between them and then took off in the direction of the trees. 

Castiel breathed out and looked to Rue who nodded and went the opposite direction of Dean, Castiel close behind her.


	22. Come Together

**_Purgatory: Dean_ **

Dean was relatively pleased with how far they’d been able to come in a month’s time. They’d created a sort of base camp for themselves, fully protected against all supernatural creatures. It was, at least, one place in all of Purgatory where they didn’t have to be afraid. Castiel and Rue had both come a long way in terms of training, and most of the initial fear they’d experienced had dissipated now that they’d gotten a basic grip on how to survive. They’d worked out pretty quickly that the days and nights were a lot longer in Purgatory than they were on Earth. Castiel had done some figuring that Dean didn’t quite understand and had decided that one day for them would be two days back home. That just meant they had more daylight to move around and more darkness to hide. 

It was getting close to dusk, so Dean gathered up the rabbits he’d trapped for their dinner and started making his way back to camp. He’d opted to carry his wand today instead of his silver machete, knowing it would be easier to carry along with whatever he’d managed to trap and kill for dinner. His only muggle weapon was the small knife he’d retrieved from a shapeshifter about a week ago, and it was tucked snugly in his boot. 

He kept to the treeline as much as possible as he walked, occasionally using the Four-Point spell to point him north. He’d been impressed and a little awed when Castiel and Rue had figured out the perfect spot to put their camp using nothing but plants and the stars. Rue seemed to find the one spot in all of Purgatory where the foliage changed - and Cass had spent the better part of two weeks studying the night sky. Together, they’d worked out that if you stayed on the borderline of where the goosegrass ended and followed the constellation that was roughly shaped like a dog, you’d eventually find your way back to camp. If all else failed, the Four-Point spell would tell you which way you needed to go to find the goosegrass as long as you remembered which direction you set out from. 

The stars were becoming visible in the waning light and Dean looked up at them, searching for Sirius. The star, not his best friend. Dean smiled to himself and wondered if Castiel had chosen that particular constellation on purpose, so Dean would never forget which star would guide him home. It worked, because after a short pause to dodge some monsters he’d never seen before, Dean made it safely back to camp. 

He redid the protection charms after stepping safely into the camp and dropped his makeshift sack of rabbits. He’d managed to get one for each of them today, which would feed them for at least a couple of days. He glanced around, relaxing slightly when he saw that both Cass and Rue had already returned from their own outings, safe and sound. 

Rue was organizing what looked like berries and twigs into piles, and Dean grinned. He held up one of the rabbits and yelled over to her. “Hey, Rue! You know the rabbits are dead, right? They don’t need to eat.” 

She looked up, startled to hear his voice. She shook her head. “It’s for us, Dean, you need to eat something other than meat.” 

He laughed. “I don’t eat the food my food eats, little one, you know that. Hey, just means more for you and Cass, right?” 

Cass walked over and handed Dean a glass of water. A  _ glass  _ of water. Dean stared at it. “Dude, what?” 

Castiel grinned almost mischievously. “I found lots of useful things today. I think I stumbled on some sort of a camp that must have been used by previous’ years tributes. Clothes, plates, glasses, boots - it’s really amazing. I can show you, if you’d like.” 

Dean drained the glass of water and magically refilled it. “Nah, I gotta get these bunnies prepped for dinner. You got a fire goin’ already?” 

Cass nodded. “Inside the cave, yes. There’s been a lot of…  _ activity  _ around here today, more than usual, so Rue and I figured it was safer to keep it in the cave. Draw less attention.” 

Dean reached up and rubbed Cass’s cheek. “You know we’ve got knives, Cass. You can shave. Although, I’m kinda diggin’ the beard.” 

Cass leaned in and kissed him, and Dean laughed as Rue pointedly set the berries down and ducked inside the cave. Alone time was extremely hard to come by, so Dean wasn’t going to fight her on it. He kissed Cass again, mumbling, “gotta -- the rabbits, not gonna - skin themselves, angel” but not getting more than a couple of words out each time before Cass’s lips were on his again, and he quickly stopped trying to speak. 

Dean eventually pulled back, his face flushed. He smiled and shook his head. “For real, angel. It’s gonna be too dark to see pretty soon.” He reached into his boot and pulled out his blade. “Why don’t you go rescue poor Rue, let her know it’s safe to come out now.” 

Castiel chuckled. “Whatever you say, Dean.” He turned and ducked into the cave, leaving Dean alone in the growing darkness. All around him, he heard the sounds of monsters waking up. Eyes here, a flash there. Dean was extremely grateful for the impenetrable shield around them. 

He worked quickly, skinning and cleaning all three rabbits. When he was done, he carried the meat inside of the cave, putting it over the fire. He glanced out of the cave entrance and then looked to Cass. “We can’t stay here forever, y’know. Sooner or later, we’re gonna have to keep moving. That portal ain’t gonna find itself.” 

Rue spoke up, filling the silence when it seemed like Castiel didn’t have an answer. “Do you really think we’re going to find it, De?” 

Dean nodded. “Yep, I sure do, kiddo. And I’ve been thinkin’ a lot about it, and y’know what… I think they were liars. Just a big fat bunch of liars. I think maybe the portal will let more than one person through, it’s just no one’s ever tried cuz we were told it didn’t work like that.” 

Rue looked excited, scooting closer to Dean. “You mean we can go home? Together?” 

He reached over and rubbed his hand on the top of her head. “You know it, kiddo. That’s the plan, anyway. I think maybe when the darkness lifts again I’ll take a little field trip, scout a little further out. See what pops up, y’know?” 

She scoffed and swatted his hand away, but her smile didn’t fade. “You promise?” 

_ No.  _ “Of course, kiddo. I told you guys a long time ago I wouldn’t have volunteered if I didn’t plan on makin’ it out of here alive.” 

His eyes traveled to Cass, who was looking at him with something along the lines of disappointment on his face. Dean’s expression darkened and he cleared his throat. “Meat’s probably ready.” 

They ate in silence, no longer worried about overeating since they’d had a pretty steady stream of animals and berries for the past couple of weeks. He looked down at his bloody, dirty forearms and regretted not ending his hunt earlier so he had time to wash up in the stream just outside of their protective enchantments.  _ Sponge bath it is.  _ When he was finished eating, he pushed himself to his feet. “I’m gonna go get cleaned up, you two need anything else?” He gestured between Cass and Rue, his eyebrows raised. 

“No, Dean. I think we’re fine.” Cass’s voice was flat, and Dean got the distinct impression he’d done something wrong. He frowned, but turned and walked out of the cave. The one nice thing about Purgatory was that it never got very cold here. He was able to strip down and take a partial shower using a water stream from his wand. He knew he could just use a cleaning spell, but if he closed his yes and angled his wand correctly, he could almost pretend like he wasn’t trapped in Purgatory and surrounded by bloodthirsty monsters. Almost. 

He pointed his wand at his discarded items of clothing and said,  _ “scourgify.”  _ All traces of dirt and blood vanished, and he got dressed again. He was keenly aware of how exposed he had been, but he had to trust that the utter darkness surrounding him now would be enough to hide him from any passing monsters. He pulled his shirt back on and noticed how unnaturally quiet the terrain around him had become. His eyes searched the darkness as he turned in a slow circle, looking for the smallest sign of any disturbance. Nothing was immediately obvious, which unsettled him even more. He walked forward until he reached the small, curved line of stones they’d placed around the camp to signal where the shield charm began and narrowed his eyes, his ears peeled for any snapping twigs or low growls. All he could hear was the sound of the fire crackling inside the cave and the whispered voices of his friends. He shrugged to himself and turned to walk back inside when he heard a sickening smack, followed by a pained yelp. He whirled around, his wand raised in one hand and the blade he carried in the other, his fear mounting just from pure, basic human instinct. His eyes found the source of the disturbance: a wendigo, preternaturally fast and near savage in nature had tried to hurl itself at Dean, but was stopped in its tracks by the shield. 

Dean’s heart rate slowly returned to normal as he watched it scamper back off into the night. He still had both his wand and blade in hand as he made his way back into the cave, moving the boulder in front of the entrance. The cave they’d found for their camp was large enough that they could keep the fire burning through the night without fear of smoke inhalation, so he didn’t bother putting it out as he walked towards the pile of things that hadn’t been there that morning. 

“Okay, angel. You’re up, show me what you’ve got here.” Dean bent down as Cass joined him. 

“As I said earlier, it was mainly clothing and eating and drinking utensils, but there were a couple of knives and some blankets as well. No fluffy pillows, however.” 

Dean chuckled at Cass’s words and picked up one of the empty glasses. “Real shame there’s no firewhiskey, huh? Might make this shit a little more bearable.” 

Cass shook his head. “Nothing at all to eat or drink, but that hasn’t exactly been an issue.” He sat down and leaned against the cave wall, picking apart a dried leaf with his fingers. “I ran into a uhh… a trap today. First one I’ve come across since being here.” 

Dean looked up from where he was still kneeling in front of the pile. “What kinda trap?” 

“Some kind of… fireball, I think.” Castiel shrugged. “I was walking towards the abandoned camp and I must have stepped on some sort of a trigger. I barely got out of the way in time.” 

Dean stood. “Damnit, Cass. You know you have to be careful about where you’re walking.” He shook his head, sitting down next to Cass. “I know it’s not really your fault. You can’t keep your eyes on the ground and focus on what’s around you at the same time, it’s just…” He breathed out, reaching over to take Cass’s hand. “We’ve made it too damn far to get taken out by some random ass fireball.” 

Castiel was quiet for a long moment before he finally spoke, looking over to where Rue had laid down with her back to them. “You lied to her today.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

Dean followed Cass’s eyes and sighed. “Yeah, I did. But what was I gonna do, Cass? Tell her we’re likely stuck here for the rest of our lives, however long or short they might be? I can’t do that to her. You saw her face, man. She wants to go home more than either one of us. Least I could do was give the poor kid some hope.” 

Castiel nodded. “I understand, but it doesn’t necessarily make it any better.” He nudged Dean with his shoulder and squeezed his hand. “I appreciate you trying, though. Rue is… well, she’s something of a sister to me.” He rested his head on Dean’s shoulder, who then wrapped his arm around him. 

“I know, angel. I know. And it wasn’t  _ all  _ a lie. I haven’t given up on gettin’ us out of here. I even half believe that shit I said about the portal.” Dean tipped his head back to rest against the cave wall and adjusted his legs. “I’m not givin’ up just yet.” 

“You’re not?” Cass shifted his head so he could look at Dean.

“Nope, cuz givin’ up means letting myself die here. More than that, it means letting you and Rue die here, which ain’t gonna happen, okay? It’s just not. This isn’t how it ends… not for me, not for you… and  _ certainly  _ not for her.” He rubbed Cass’s arm and kissed his forehead. “Get some sleep, angel. Tomorrow, it’s time to move.” 

**_Hogwarts: Sirius_ **

“Sam, I’m telling you I can’t do this for another fucking day. I have to get out of this room.” Finnick Odair was cornering Sam in the Room of Requirement, and Sirius rolled his eyes. 

Sam pushed him back. “You can’t, Finn, I’m sorry. You know what Crane and Flickerman will do to you if they find out you’re not in Purgatory? What’s your problem, man? This room gives you whatever you need whenever you need it - beds, showers, food… all you need to do is  _ think  _ it and it shows up! How is that not good enough?!” 

Sirius sighed as the two continued arguing. Truth be told, he had also had enough of the Room of Requirement. He hadn’t come back to Hogwarts just to hide. He interjected, cutting Finnick’s response off. “He’s right, we can’t stay in this room all year. There’s no point. There are no Death Eaters here, it’s just Crane now. Without backup, there’s not a lot he can do to us.”  
“He could kill you!” Sam whirled on Sirius, obvious concern on his face. “Or - or send you to Purgatory anyway! Do neither of you care about that? My brother risked everything to get you guys out, and now you want to repay him by throwing yourselves at Crane? Are you _nuts?”_

Sirius pushed himself off the wall and walked towards the door. “We’ve been in this room for two months. Dean and Cass didn’t sacrifice themselves so we could  _ hide.  _ They’d want us to fight, and you know it. I’m going.” 

“Yeah, what he said!” Finnick yelled as he followed Sirius out the door. He caught up with Sirius quickly. “Wait, where are we going?” 

“It’s second period on Tuesday. I’m going to Dark Arts. What’s that that the muggles say? I’m ‘ripping the band-aid off’.” Sirius halted when he heard Sam behind him. 

“You’re putting everyone else at risk, you know that! Everything we’ve built, everything that Team Free Will has worked for - you’re throwing it down the drain if you go there. Dean might not want you to hide, but he sure as hell wanted you to live!” Sam’s words echoed through the seventh floor corridor, but Sirius ignored him. 

“I’m fucking  _ going.”  _

\--------------------------

Sirius braced himself outside of the Dark Arts room, fully aware that Seneca Crane might  _ actually  _ kill him. He reminded himself over and over again that he was done hiding, and opened the door. 

The lesson was already underway, and it appeared to be an exam day. For the first few moments, no one seemed to notice they were there. All around him, students were diligently scratching answers on parchment with their quills, and Crane was nowhere to be seen. He let out a breath of temporary relief, and cleared his throat. 

James Potter looked up first. James was perfectly aware that Sirius had escaped and been living in the Room of Requirement for the last two months, but that didn’t stop the look of surprise on his face to see his friend in the middle of a Dark Arts lesson. “Sirius?! Finnick?” 

Heads started tilting up, and he received several curious glances. All at once, the room erupted in sounds - whispers and exclamations - “I thought he was Chosen? Isn’t he dead?” 

Sirius held his head high. “Where’s Crane?” 

James shook his head rapidly, pointing frantically towards the door. He seemed to be mouthing something like  _ run,  _ but that wasn’t what Sirius came here to do. He clenched his jaw and turned around, walking straight to the door to Crane’s office. He knocked loudly. 

The room fell silent behind him, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Crane jerked the door open. “What--” His initial word was said like a growl, as if he was upset a student dared interrupt whatever he had been doing. But when his eyes fell on Sirius, he looked more shocked than anything. 

“Long time no see, Professor. Miss me?” Finnick grinned, but Sirius could barely breathe from fear of what was about to happen. 

The shock seemed to wear off quickly, replaced by anger. “ _ You! How did you get out of Purgatory? _ ” Crane’s words were clipped and held an almost savage tone. 

_ What?  _ Sirius took a half-step back as Finnick spoke. “What do you mean? I was never in Purgatory.” 

For a second, confusion seemed to overpower Crane’s anger. “That’s impossible, I sent you there myself!  _ How did you get out!?”  _ He was shouting now, so forcefully that spit was flying out of his mouth. He looked half deranged, and Sirius took a few, complete steps back this time. 

“I’m telling you, I was never in Purgatory. You need your head checked.” Sirius tried to nonchalantly reach for his wand, his level of panic slowly rising.  _ Is this guy fucking nuts?  _

“NO!” Crane screamed. “Caesar Flickerman and I threw you and the rest of the rest of the tributes in Purgatory two months ago! You can’t be here. You shouldn’t --” Crane moved, wrapping his hand around Sirius’s throat too quickly for him to react. “You will tell me how you got out.” 

Sirius sputtered, dropping his wand as he brought both hands up to try to free himself from Crane’s grip. James and Finnick were on them in a second, kicking and pulling at Crane until their combined effort managed to throw the man off of Sirius. 

Crane’s eyes were wild as he looked from Sirius to Finnick, and then he took off out the door and disappeared into the castle. Sirius rubbed his throat, looking to James. “Crazy bastard almost killed me.” 

James punched his shoulder. “What the hell were you thinking! Of course he almost killed you, that’s why you were supposed to stay in the R--” James seemed to suddenly remember that they were in the middle of a classroom and cut himself off. “We need to go. Now.” 

Sirius took another look around the room at the stunned faces of his classmates and then he and Finnick followed James out of the room. “Where are we going?” 

“To see the Headmaster. The cat’s out of the bag now, Sirius. He needs to be aware.” James was walking quickly enough that Sirius nearly had to jog to keep up with him. 

“Shouldn’t we get the others first? And Professor Cinna knows, don’t you think  _ he  _ said something to Shurley?” 

James stopped. “You’re right, everyone should be there. Let’s get this over with.” James changed course and headed towards the Room of Requirement. 

Twenty minutes later, Sam, James, Sirius, Finnick, Cato, Alecto, Beetee and Newt were standing inside of Professor Shurley’s office. 

“Uhh… you… what now?” Clearly, Cinna hadn’t told Professor Shurley anything at all about the escape, because the man looked downright bewildered. 

Sirius took a deep breath. “I escaped originally, and then Dean and Castiel put the Imperius Curse on Flickerman and Crane and forced them to bring the rest of the tributes here right when it was time to go to Purgatory.”

“S-say that… one more time? They -- okay.” Professor Shurley looked to each of them in turn and then took a deep breath. “Clearly you all got out somehow, so… fine. Two teenagers managed to put Unforgivable Curses on Death Eaters. Yeah, okay, I guess I can buy that.” Shurley shrugged with his mouth and nodded. 

Cato pushed his way to the front. “Can I go back to my common room now? Being stuck with these idiots for two months was  _ worse  _ than Purgatory.” 

Professor Shurley was silent for a moment. “You… yeah, naturally you need to go back to your common rooms and your lessons.” He stood up, pacing behind his desk. “What happened to Dean and Castiel? And where is… what was her name? Rue Marsh?” 

“Last we knew, they were supposed to join us at Hogwarts. Dean had said something about not being able to hold the connection through Apparating, so he made the rest of us go first. I left with Rue, but Winchester couldn’t hold it and that asshat snapped out of it. I got away, but he took the girl with him. That’s the last we heard about any of them. Can I go now?” Cato sounded bored when he spoke, like he’s already told this story too many times. 

Chuck dismissed Cato, and the rest of the group shortly after. Back in the corridor, Sirius practically ran towards the Gryffindor common room, Finnick close behind him. 

  
  
  


** _Purgatory: Castiel_ **

  
  


Castiel woke up, noticing Dean was already gone, probably to hunt for breakfast. He looked over at Rue who was sitting up, organizing the remaining berries she had into piles. 

“Oh good!” She grinned when she realized he was awake. “You’re finally up!”

Castiel rubbed his eyes and nodded. “I’m awake, yes. Where’s Dean?”

Rue shrugged. “He went out to check his rabbit traps. He should be back soon.” She moved over to one of the cave walls where she had been keeping track of how many days they had been in Purgatory for. 

Castiel watched her pick up a rock and make a single tick next to the many others that filled up some space on the barren cave wall. 

“Do you know what this means?” She asked, his eyes bright as she turned back to Castiel. “Today is the fourth Thursday in November!”

Castiel raised his eyebrow. “That’s uh… that’s good. Is that supposed to mean something?”

Dean ducked back into the cave. “It’s Thanksgiving, Cass. Second greatest day of the year.” He walked over, dropping the map he’d been constructing and two freshly culled rabbits on the makeshift table. 

Castiel nodded slowly. “That’s the holiday where you eat until you feel like you might explode, right?”

“That’s the one. I’m tryin’ to trap something other than a rabbit to celebrate, but uhh…” He gestured to the two rabbits. “I haven’t seen a squirrel since that first day and rabbit seems to be our only other option here.” 

Rue looked at Dean with a tiny smirk. “Perhaps you’ll have to eat some berries, then.”

“I’m not  _ that  _ desperate for variety, Rue. You can keep your berries.” Dean flexed his shoulders and patted his pockets. “Shit… you seen my knife anywhere?” 

Castiel and Rue shook their heads simultaneously, before Cass spoke. “Didn’t you have it yesterday, just before we went to bed?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, had it this morning, too. I must have dropped it by one of the traps.” He stood up, walking towards the entrance. “If I’m not back by nightfall,  _ accio  _ my ass. That second trap’s pretty far out, but that’s the only decent blade we’ve got for skinnin’ rabbits.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he stood up finally, walking over to Dean. “ _ Nightfall _ ? Dean it’s only like- what time is it?”

Dean looked up at the sky. “I dunno, like noon? Maybe one o’clock? Hard to tell here. Anyway, like I said… that traps pretty far out, so…” He grabbed Cass’s chin and kissed him. “It probably won’t be that long, I was talkin’ worst case scenarios here.” 

Castiel let out a deep breath and nodded. “Please be careful, okay?”

Dean smirked. “I’m always careful, angel.” He nodded to both Cass and Rue, then jogged across the clearing and disappeared into the trees. 

Castiel stood there and watched Dean go, his stomach sinking as if something was going to go wrong. “He’s going to be fine, Castiel. He always is.” Rue’s voice drew him from his thoughts as he turned back to her.

“I know he will be.” Castiel nodded once. “Eat something, and drink. I think we need to move base later tonight, tomorrow morning maybe. We’ve got to keep searching for the portal, we’re not making any progress just sitting here.”  
Rue frowned. “After Thanksgiving dinner, okay?”

Castiel clicked his tongue but nodded. “After Thanksgiving dinner. Sure.”

\------------------------------

A few hours later, Dean came back to camp, his lost knife in hand. He was out of breath and bloody. “God  _ damnit  _ I hate vampires.” 

Castiel moved over to Dean quickly, scanning him for injuries. “Are you hurt? How many of them did you encounter?”

“Not anymore, and too many. This damn place is crawling with them.” Dean tossed his knife on the table and pulled his shirt over his head. “You guys hungry?” 

Rue nodded but approached him with a handful of plants. “I have lots of dittany… it’s yours if you want it.”

Dean grinned. “Cuts weren’t deep enough to scar this time, kiddo. Don’t sweat it.” He reached over and messed up her hair. “You could get the fire goin’ though, if you wanted to be helpful.” 

She huffed and stuffed the plants back into her jacket pocket, fixing her hair. She pulled her wand out and pointed it at the fire pit. “ _ Incendio!” _ ”

Dean grabbed the rabbits and picked his knife back up. “I’m gonna go clean these.” He kissed Cass and walked outside. 

Castiel kissed him back, closing his eyes for a moment and then biting his own lip when Dean walked away. From beside him, Rue giggled, not looking up from her spread of plants. Castiel squinted at her. “What’s funny?”

She grinned and looked over at him now. “Do you love him? Like,  _ love _ love him?”

Castiel raised his eyebrow, leaning back against the cave wall before sliding down against it to sit. “I do, yes.”

“Really?” She grinned still, moving over to sit beside him. “What’s going to happen when we get out of here? Are you two going to get married?”  
Castiel coughed, his eyes widening. He was taken back to when Dean was explaining everything about his dad and how he definitely wouldn’t support them. He breathed out after a moment and forced a smile, looking over at her. “I suppose we’ll have to see, won’t we?”  
Rue nodded, smiling to herself. “I think you should. I think that would make you happy and Dean happy, and that’s what’s important, right?”

Castiel swallowed hard but kept his forced smile. “Precisely, Rue. As long as we’re happy… nothing else matters.”

“Can I be invited?” Rue was looking at Castiel with big, hopeful eyes. 

Castiel didn’t want to lie to Rue, but he remembered what Dean had told him a while ago and decided to keep that hope for her. “Of course you can, Rue. You’ll be the first one to know if we ever get engaged. Does that sound okay?”

She nodded, seeming to drop it, and then she got excited again. “Oh! Are you going to ask him or will he ask you?”

Castiel smiled slightly, shrugging. “I don’t know, I haven’t planned that far ahead yet and I don’t think Dean has either. I suppose it just depends.”

“I think you’d be surprised at how far ahead I plan things, angel.” Dean was leaning against the entrance to the cave, skinned rabbits in hand. 

Castiel looked over at him and blinked, feeling his face flush. “I- you uh- how much of that did you hear?”

The corner of Dean’s mouth turned up in a smile and he pushed off the cave wall, walking over to start cooking the meat over the fire. “Enough.” 

Castiel’s stomach did a flip and he sucked in a shallow breath, closing his eyes again. “I was telling Rue earlier that I think we should move tonight or tomorrow morning.”

Dean raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, I’ve already got the next spot mostly set up. That’s why I was gone so long earlier.” He pointed at the map on the stone table with the tip of his knife. “It’s marked out, if you wanna take a look.” 

Castiel opened his eyes and stood, walking over to the map. His eyes scanned it, smiling a little bit. “Good.”

Dean pulled his boots off slowly, making an almost pained noise. “My vote is tomorrow. I’ve been walking for hours, and Rue’s right -- this is Thanksgiving dinner for us, which means I’m gonna eat till I pass out.” 

Castiel stared at the map with the markings for a few more moments before he walked over to him and kissed him quickly. “Happy Thanksgiving, then.”

Dean smiled sadly. “Yeah, sorry we don’t have more to be thankful for. But hey, it could be worse.” 

Rue smiled and shrugged. “I mean… more than anything I want to go home. Cato didn’t - he didn’t even try to take me from Caesar when we landed but… but I guess if I have to spend my Thanksgiving in Purgatory, I’m thankful it’s with you two.”

Dean’s eyes darkened. “Yeah, when we get outta here… I’m gonna be having some words with Cato about that. I trusted him.” Dean flipped the meat on the fire. “But yeah, that giant dickbag coulda been stuck here with us, so I, for one, am thankful he’s not.” 

“I agree with you.” Castiel nodded. He shivered slightly and reached for one of the blankets, wrapping it around his shoulders.

Rue nodded too, blushing a little bit. “I do wish Sirius was here though. Not - not because I want him to be in Purgatory but…” She cleared her throat. “Berries, anyone?”

Dean blinked. “You…” He sucked in a breath as if he was prepared to say something, but let it out with a slight shake of his head. “Yeah, hard pass on the berries, Rue. Thanks, though.” 

She nodded and moved to the corner of the cave she deemed her own and sat down against the wall. Castiel frowned and watched her go, before turning to Dean. “Is she okay?”

Dean watched Rue curiously and spoke quietly. “I think… I think she  _ misses  _ Sirius, if you know what I mean.” 

Castiel blinked, looking at her again and then back to Dean, his head tilted. “You think she has a crush on him?” Castiel spoke just as quietly, matching Dean’s volume.

“Honestly, I’m just glad it ain’t Finnick. If I had to listen to her talk about how pretty he is for the rest of our lives, I’d kill myself now.” Dean divvied up the meat and took Rue some. “Hey, kiddo. Come join us.” 

She took the plate and nodded as she stood up. “Okay.” She moved over to the fire and sat down in front of it, nibbling on the meat.

Castiel sat down beside her with his own plate and draped the blanket he just had on over her shoulders. “Are you warm enough?”

Rue smiled slightly and nodded. “Yes, Cass. Thank you.”  
Castiel smiled as well and looked over at Dean. “Are you joining us too?”

Dean walked over and sat down on Cass’s other side. “For Thanksgiving dinner? Wouldn’t miss it, angel.” 

Castiel instinctively leaned into Dean a little bit, watching the fire as he picked at his food. “So tomorrow we move. How far is the hike, Dean?”

“It’s a few miles east of here. If we use magic to carry all our shit, it shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours to get there.” Dean pulled off a piece of meat with his fingers and ate it. “It’ll give us access to an area of Purgatory we haven’t been to yet though, so maybe we’ll find somethin’.” 

Rue smiled. “Maybe I can find some flowers! I can make you a flower crown, Dean. You’d look fabulous.”

Castiel chuckled, looking to Dean. “Yes, Dean.  _ Fabulous. _ ”

Dean’s answering bitch face spoke for him. 


	23. The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now might be a good time to grab those tissues.

**_Purgatory: Dean_ **

They’d moved camps twice over the last month, and it would seem that Dean’s original assessment of the weather here was incorrect: it  _ definitely  _ gets cold in Purgatory. There was a thin blanket of snow perpetually covering the ground now, and the nights dropped to almost dangerously low temperatures. 

Dean, Rue and Cass were huddled close around the fire on what seemed like a particularly long night. Rue’s voice was small as she spoke, looking between them. “It’s almost Christmas.” 

Dean looked over Rue’s head to Cass. “Yeah, I know, kiddo. We’ve got what, two days till Christmas Eve?” 

She nodded, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs. “Yes. Two days. I hope you guys don’t mind… I didn’t get you any presents.” 

Dean chuckled, rubbing her back gently. “That’s okay, Rue. I’m pretty sure we didn’t get you anything either. I can maybe try to find something other than a rabbit for dinner, though. How’s that?” 

She nodded quickly. “Please! No… no offense, Dean. The rabbits are great, but…”

“But you want something different for a change. I get it. When the darkness finally breaks, I can search. For now, we should get some sleep.” 

They’d taken to sharing blankets, placing two between them and the cave floor and two above them. Rue, the smallest of them, slept in between Cass and Dean, soaking up whatever extra warmth she could. The three of them laid down like this, and as always, Cass reached his arm over Rue to hold Dean’s hand. He took it gratefully. 

\-----------------------

Dean set out at first light to hunt for something worthy of a Christmas dinner. He moved slowly, his steps deliberate and slow. He’d been walking for just over an hour with his eyes peeled for any animals other than rabbits when he heard voices. Actual, human voices. His heart started beating faster and he quickly ducked behind a tree, pressing his back against the bark. He noticed his footprints in the snow and his panic level rose quickly.  _ Shit shit shit.  _ He held his breath, trying not to draw attention to his hiding place. His mind ran through the list of creatures that could sound human like that, and he prepared himself for just about anything. He crouched low and slowly looked around the tree trunk, his eyes searching for the source of the voices. 

He saw two monsters walking towards the tree he was using to shield himself, and he quickly scanned them.  _ Normal skin, normal teeth… two legs… Too far away to see their eyes…  _ He gripped his wand tightly in his hand and glanced behind him, trying to figure out if it was smarter to stand his ground or try to head back the way he came. He waited too long to make the decision, and the monsters were too close to him now for him to try to escape. 

Except. 

_ Those aren’t monsters… those are…  _ “Hey!” Dean ran out from behind his tree, holding his wand still but raising his arms above his head in surrender. “Hey, you guys are human!” 

The two men stopped dead in their tracks. “You must be one of the new tributes, right?” 

Dean nodded quickly. “Yeah, yeah… I’m Dean. Who - how?” 

One of the men stuck his hand out. “Name’s Bobby. Bobby Singer. Welcome to Purgatory.” 

Dean eyed the strangers hand warily, but slowly shook it with his own. After pulling his hand back, he shifts his eyes to the guy behind Bobby. “Who are you?”

Bobby offered a small smile, looking back at the other guy. Pointing to him, he introduced him as Gabriel Jones.

Dean nodded to him awkwardly before shifting his attention back to Bobby. “And you’re both… you’re both past Chosen?”  
“Yup, been here a while, couldn’t tell ya how long, though.” Bobby crossed his arms, eyeing Dean.

Dean felt very defensive suddenly and cleared his throat, standing up straighter. “What?”

“Have you got a group?” Bobby asked, keeping his arms folded and his eyes on Dean. “How long you been here for?”

_ Do I have a group, yes. I’m not about to tell you that, though. _ Thankful for the two-part question, Dean ignored the first part and opted to answer the second. “Today’s Christmas Eve, it’s been over two months, nearly three. Do you have a group?”

“Yeah, there’s more than just the two of us. Do you have a base?” Gabriel spoke up. “Because we do, and it was just recently raided.”

_Recently raided?_ Dean’s eyes danced on the ground as he thought, before his eyes widened slightly. _The abandoned base Cass got all that shit from? No, no that can’t be right._ Dean decided it was probably in his best interest to _not_ mention it so he forced a frown. “Wow. I’m uh- I’m really sorry to hear that. You sure the wind didn’t blow it all away or somethin’?”  
“We lost plates and glasses… stuff like that. Must’ve been some pretty strong gusts of wind to be able to make that happen,” Gabriel stated, a hint of accusation in his voice.

Dean looked to him. “What’re you tryin’ to say?”  
He shook his head and raised his arms in somewhat of a surrender. “Nothing. I’m not saying anything.”

Dean nodded and looked to Bobby. “Right then. So, uh, now what?”  
“Well, if you truly are alone as you claim, you’ll join us back at our camp. We’re always lookin’ for people and you seem like a person who knows what they’re doin’ to me.” Bobby adjusted the bag he had slung over his shoulder and grinned. “Whaddya say?”

Dean took a moment and considered his options. He knew Rue and Castiel would worry about him if he didn’t return to the cave, but he knew this was an opportunity to scout out an  _ actual _ camp, with  _ actual _ people. He crossed his arms over his chest, before nodding once. “Yeah, yeah alright. Let’s see what you guys have made for yourselves.”

Bobby nodded with a small smile and almost looked relieved. “Good, that’s good. Do you have anything other than just yourself and your wand?”  
Dean shook his head. “Nah, you’d be impressed with what I can do with this piece of wood.” He held up his wand. “Let’s get this show on the road. Lead the way.”

Bobby and Gabriel kept walking in the direction they were initially going, and Dean almost reluctantly followed. He wasn’t a hundred percent positive he’d be able to find his way back to his own camp after this, but he’d just have to trust himself. They walked for a couple of miles before the camp came into view. Dean’s eyes widened at the sight. There must have been fifteen people milling around the camp, and it looked like an actual settlement. There were 6 tents, all ranging in size, and they were on the bank of a small river. Dean could clearly make out a girl not much older than himself washing a large pile of clothes in the water. His eyes scanned the area, and a couple of people straightened up when they approached. 

“Bobby! No luck with that deer, huh? Bummer.” He looked to be in his late twenties, which confused Dean. The man eyed him and stuck out his hand. “Plutarch. You must be one of the this year’s tributes, is it that time already?” 

Dean shook his hand. “W- I’ve been here for a couple of months, but yeah.” 

Plutarch raised his eyebrows as if he knew Dean was about to say, “we,” but didn’t comment on it. “Well, welcome to Base. This is where all of the forgotten tributes gather. But I bet you’re still trying to find your portal, right? Are any of the other tributes from your Games still alive?” 

Dean bit his lip, his eyes darting over the camp. He wasn’t really looking at anything, but he was trying to buy himself some time to decide how much to tell them. If they really were tributes, there was no harm in telling them the truth and bringing Castiel and Rue over here. There was definitely safety in numbers, and from the smell of the food that one of the girls was cooking, they’d managed to find themselves some spices. His stomach growled hungrily even though he’d eaten just a few hours ago. “Whatcha guys cookin’?”

Gabriel spoke up. “Cressida’s a great cook, don’t get me wrong… but I miss chocolate. She’s cooking the last of the deer meat we’ve got. You want some?” 

Dean shook his head. “That’s okay, I can’t stay real long. It’s gonna be a bitch to find my camp again.” 

Bobby looked him up and down. “You said it’s just you, and all you’ve got is that stick. So there’s no need to go back to your camp, you can stay here now.” 

Dean couldn’t stop the chill that creeped up his spine. “I said that’s all I had  _ on  _ me, not all I had period. If I leave now, I can make it there and back by nightfall.” 

Bobby nodded. “Alright son, but at least let me send you with some food, maybe some clean clothes.” He turned and walked away, disappearing into one of the tents. 

Gabriel stood next to Dean and turned to face the rest of the camp. “Bobby’s a good guy. He sort of rallied us all a few years ago. We’ve worked out quite a system, in case you can’t tell.” Gabriel seemed to swell with pride for a moment. “When you get back, we’ll tell you all about how we’ve been using shapeshifters to fuck with the Death Eaters.” Gabriel looked at Dean and wiggled his eyebrows.

That piqued Dean’s interest more than anything else he’d seen or heard here. “Yeah, sounds awesome.” 

Bobby returned with a sack and handed it to Dean. “Here. Clothes, boots, food, and a couple of canteens of water. If you get lost, send up green sparks. We’ll send out a Search and Rescue if you’re close enough that we can see ‘um.” 

Dean took the bag, surprise written all over his face. “Thanks, man. Yeah, I’ll uhh… I’ll be back. You guys got room for a few more? Y’know… just in case?” 

Gabriel chuckled. “I knew you weren’t alone! Sure, bud! The more the merrier.” 

Dean vehemently shook his head. “I never said I was with other people. Just that I might find some on the way, and needed to know whether or not to lie.” 

Bobby shrugged. “Gabriel’s right. As long as they’re useful, I don’t see any reason they can’t join us.” 

Dean nodded, said a quick goodbye and then took off in the direction they came from, hoping to find his way back to his own camp… and quickly. Maybe he had a Christmas present for Rue after all. 

  
  


** _Purgatory: Castiel_ **

Castiel was outside the cave, pacing with his arms crossed. Dean had been gone for much longer than intended and it was causing him to worry.  _ There were no red sparks, that means he’s okay, right? _ He nodded in a reassurance to himself before another thought snuck into his mind.  _ Unless his wand got knocked away from him. Broken, even. He’d have no way of contacting me then.  _

Castiel’s head snapped to the left when he heard branches breaking in the distance. He drew his wand and whispered, “ _ Lumos _ .”

“Cass? That you?” Dean came out of the line of trees, looking tired but carrying a large bag. “Sorry that took so long, but damn have I got news for you guys.” 

Cass let out a breath of relief, smiling slightly when he saw Dean. “Are you okay? What’s- what’s that?”

Dean grinned as he ducked back into the cave. “It’s fuckin’ salvation, is what it is. Well, maybe. Not really, cuz salvation would mean gettin’ outta here, but…” Dean tossed the sack on the ground and opened it, pulling out the canteens and handing one to each Cass and Rue. 

Rue took the canteen and shook it, her eyebrows raising. “Where did you get this?”

Castiel opened the canteen and took a long drink, simply because he could, letting out a content sound when he pulled the canteen back.

“We aren’t the only humans here. I was lookin’ for food and I found a helluva lot more than that.” Dean dug around in the sack and pulled out some jerky and some berries, handing the latter over to Rue. “Ran into a couple of people, Bobby and Gabriel, right? They about scared the shit outta me at first, but they took me back to their camp. It’s crazy, it makes ours look pretty crappy by comparison.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened. “How many people at the camp?”

“Hard to tell, there was a lot goin’ on. But I clocked roughly fifteen, I think.” He bit into a piece of jerky. “They want us to come back.” 

Rue grinned. “More people! It sounds safer there too! When can we leave?”

Dean looked tired, but he smiled at Rue. “We can go now, kiddo. It’s a few hours walk, but I don’t think it’ll be bad. It’s not crazy dark yet.” 

Castiel tilted his head at Dean. “If you want to rest, Dean, we can head out in the morning instead. Whatever you think.”

Dean shook his head. “You know how long the darkness lasts around here, man. My priority is makin’ sure we’re safe, I can sleep when we get there.” He stood up and started packing. “We need to leave most of this shit here though. Turns out… that abandoned camp you raided wasn’t all that abandoned.” 

Castiel breathed out and rubbed his temples, shaking his head. “Oh no. I can explain to them, right? Return the stuff and explain to them?”

“Uhh… you  _ can…  _ or we can leave it all here and conveniently find it again in a few days. No harm no foul, right? Looks like they’ve got more than enough shit anyway.” He frowned for a moment and then pointed his wand at one of the blankets. “ _ Colovaria.”  _ The blanket turned a deep red and Dean grinned. “There, now they don’t need to know it was theirs.” He packed that blanket up and gestured to the other ones. “Do the same thing if you guys want them.” 

Castiel and Rue followed suit, changing the blankets to different colours than they originally were. “Is this all we need to bring?”

“I told them I didn’t have much, so yeah. They’re prepared for me to show up empty handed.” He bit his lip. “Speaking of which… I uhh… I didn’t tell them about you guys. I made sure it was cool if other people joined, but I kinda said I’d been alone this whole time.” 

Castiel nodded slowly. “So we need to pretend like you found us on your way back?”

“That’s up to you guys. I’m fine with tellin’ them the truth, I just didn’t want them to know about you guys until I had a chance to talk to you first.” Dean slung the bag with all of their stuff in it over his shoulder.

Rue grabbed an armful of blankets to carry, making sure her plants were all situated on the inside pockets of her jacket. Castiel picked up whatever wasn’t being carried yet, nodding to Dean. “Alright, then. Let’s go.”

Dean nodded and put the fire out before leaving the cave. He looked around briefly, making sure their surroundings were clear. “Stay close to me, okay? It’s gonna be dark before we get there and I don’t wanna get separated.” He started walking, his eyes on the sky. 

Castiel used the ‘Lumos’ spell again and held it with his free hand to ensure they’d always have light, following Dean.

As they walked, Castiel started to realize the scenery around them wasn’t familiar anymore which he supposed was a good thing.  _ We can’t follow the treeline back to camp now, but I’m sure we’ll be able to find this place pretty easily. _

After a little over an hour of walking, Dean threw out his arm to stop Cass and Rue as he abruptly stopped walking. His head moved from side to side as he scanned the area around them. “You hear that?” 

Castiel scanned the area with his eyes, nodding as he spoke quietly, “what is that?”

Dean pulled his finger to his lips as he turned slowly, his eyes darting around. He paused, looking over Cass’s shoulder, his fear quickly turning to surprise. “Wha-” 

Castiel squinted, tilting his head slightly as he turned to see what Dean was looking at, his eyes widening. “Garth?!”

Garth Fitzgerald was clearly visible in the fading light of the day. He blinked at them. “C-castiel? Dean?” His eyes landed on Rue. “Oh, no… not you, too.” 

“I thought- they said- you’re supposed to be dead!” Castiel swallowed, looking to Dean, unsure whether or not to trust this. 

Dean looked just as shocked and confused as Castiel did. Garth nodded, and spoke slowly. “Yeah, I guess I did die here.” 

Dean took a step towards him, but Rue dropped the blankets she was holding and ran towards Garth, wrapping her arms around him. “I didn’t think we’d ever see you again!” 

Castiel couldn’t fight the smile that appeared on his face as he watched Rue, looking between the three people with him. “You’ve been here this entire time, Garth?”

Garth glanced at the sky, where the moon was just starting to come up. “I never left, if that’s what you’re asking.” 

Dean shifted uncomfortably. “Rue… why don’t you grab up these blankets and we can head back to camp for the night?” 

She tilted her head at Dean put pulled back from Garth, staying close to him still. “Does Garth get to come with us?”

Dean looked back and forth between them and seemed to be struggling with his decision. “You with Bobby and the others?” 

Garth pulled his eyes away from the sky to look at Dean. He continued speaking slowly. “Bobby… Bobby Singer?” He paused, and Dean didn’t shift his expression. “Yes, yes I am.” 

Castiel glanced at Garth, clearing his throat. “Garth are you… are you alright?”

Garth smiled, but it was… almost wild. “Of course, Castiel. I just didn’t expect to see you guys again. We better get moving if we’re going to make it back to Bobby’s camp.” 

Dean grabbed Rue’s arm and pulled her gently towards him. “Stay close, kiddo. Just like we said, okay?” He didn’t take his eyes off of Garth as Rue nodded and picked up the blankets again. “Lead the way, man. We only just found out about the camp today, I’m sure you know your way there better than I do.” 

Castiel could sense some weird tension as he looked over at Dean, his eyebrows raised. He waited until Rue was walking to follow closely behind her. Dean followed behind all of them as Garth took the lead. 

“So, who else was Chosen?” Garth turned his head over his shoulder to look at Rue.

Rue nodded as she walked, adjusting her grip on the blankets. “Sirius Black, Finnick Odair, Newt Scamander, Cato Chester and a few others. They escaped, though. We helped them escape before they ever even made it into Purgatory.”

Garth chuckled almost darkly. “Good for them. There’s no escape from Purgatory, at least not for people like me.” 

She frowned. “There’s the portal, isn’t there. You can use the portal just like any other human could.”

“That’s the problem, Rue. I’m not human.” Garth looked up towards the sky, where the full moon was now visible. His body started to twitch, and his head cocked at a strange angle. He growled, his teeth multiplying and elongating into sharp, grotesque fangs. Dean was moving behind Castiel, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of Garth as his body convulsed and changed, until his friend was no longer standing in front of them. 

Rue’s eyes widened as she gasped loudly enough to draw Castiel’s and Dean’s attention as she stumbled backwards quickly, but not quick enough. Garth turned quickly and grabbed Rue with a swiftness like no other, before sprinting off into the woods. Rue’s screams were heard, getting fainter and fainter the further Garth got.

“Rue!” Dean yelled, abandoning the sack he was trying to dig through. “God damnit, where the fuck is my gun!” He took off, running full speed in the direction Garth took Rue, his wand in his hand. “Rue! Say something! Yell! Anything!” 

Castiel was momentarily frozen with fear, before he took off after Dean, barreling through tree branches and jumping over fallen logs, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. “Rue! Rue, where are you?!”

Up ahead, Dean yelled, “ _ Argentifors!”  _ but Castiel couldn’t see him in the enveloping darkness. Rue’s next scream was cut off abruptly, and it sounded like it was coming from behind him. A moment later, Dean was in front of him, grabbing him and spinning him around. 

“That way! C’mon!” Dean took off at a run again, pulling Castiel with him this time. 

As soon as Castiel heard Rue’s scream cut off like that, his mind went to the worst case scenario, his legs moving faster beneath him as he followed closely behind Dean.

Dean let go of Castiel’s hand, slowing to almost a stop. He turned around frantically. “Where’d they go? RUE!?” Silence answered him. 

Castiel’s stomach sank as he turned in frantic circles, pulling at his hair with his hands. “Dean we- I can’t- we need to find her!”

A twig snapped to their left, and Dean took off in that direction without hesitation. Castiel followed, and caught up with Dean quickly. He had stopped, his breathing heavy and his eyes focused on the ground. Castiel pointed his illuminated wand at the spot Dean was staring at. There, in front of them, was Rue. Her clothes were shredded and she was laying in a pool of blood, her eyes open and glassy. 

She was gone. 

Castiel stood there for a long moment, whispering “no” over and over again before he dropped his wand and fell beside her. He had to blink several times to get the tears out of the way as he pulled Rue to his chest, his body trembling. “I’m so sorry, Rue. I’m so sorry.”

Dean’s breathing seemed to have stopped entirely. He gripped his wand.  _ “Protego Totalum.”  _ The shield sprung up over Cass and Rue, and Dean looked at them from the other side. “Stay with her. I’ll be back, okay? I promise. Stay with her.” He stared at Rue’s body for another long moment before taking off in the darkness. 

Castiel could hear words coming out of Dean’s mouth but there was no meaning to them. He stayed on his knees, rocking back and forth slightly with Rue clutched to his chest. He pulled Rue back slightly to look at her face, taking a sharp breath through his sobs. He used one hand to reach to her face and close her eyes, looking down at her torn clothes. In the middle of one of the tears was a gaping hole in her chest and Castiel knew that’s exactly where her heart  _ should’ve _ been. Tears began to fall faster as he pulled her to his chest again.  _ She died alone, and afraid, and you let it happen. She died alone, and afraid, and  _ **_you_ ** _ let it happen. _

He was faintly aware of snarls in the distance, and then the sound of a gunshot made his whole body jump. He looked up, his eyes darting around in the darkness as his fear rose again. “D-dean?” He tightened his grip on Rue’s body, but no answer came. His breathing quickened and he was sure he was seconds away from jumping out of his own skin when he finally heard him. 

“Cass?! Cass, angel, where are you?” Dean sounded like he was still a little ways away, but it didn’t stop Cass from hearing him as he said, “Oh, fuck  _ lumos. Expecto Patronum!”  _ About a dozen yards to his right, Dean’s phoenix patronus illuminated the forest around them. 

Castiel reached for his wand where he had dropped it. Pointing it in the direction where he saw Dean’s patronum he whispered, “ _ Expecto Patronum. _ ” Castiel wasn’t surprised when nothing happened, not even a silver puff or anything. Taking a shaky breath, Castiel tried a different spell, giving up on his patronus. “ _ Periculum. _ ”

The sparks guided Dean back, and he dropped the shield charm. He kneeled in front of Cass, bleeding but not badly. “Cass, talk to me. Are you okay?” 

Castiel looked to him, shaking his head slowly as a fresh wave of tears fell. “She’s- she’s dead. She’s g-gone, Dean.”

Dean nodded, watching him. “I know, I know, angel. I’m so sorry. But you gotta let her go, okay? We can’t stay here, just…” He reached out for Rue’s body. “Just give her to me, okay?” 

Castiel didn’t move for a long moment, shifting his eyes back to Rue. “S-she was so excited f-for Christmas and now s-she…”

Dean’s voice cracked. “I know she was. Cass, I’m so sorry. I shoulda never --” He cut himself off and slowly picked Rue’s body up out of Cass’s arms who only fought him on that a little bit. “Would you -- do you think she’d wanna be buried or have a hunter’s funeral?”

“I don’t-” he hunched over and vomited what little food he had left in his stomach, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He tried to control his body that was trembling as he looked up at Dean.

“Cass I- are you okay?” Dean asked, concern playing on his face.

Castiel blinked and took a deep breath in attempt to calm himself down.  _ She’s gone, there’s nothing you can do. Stop acting like a baby, Castiel. You’re in Purgatory, there’s no time for this. Answer Dean’s damn question.  _

He pushed himself up on his now slightly shaky legs, looking down at Rue’s body in Dean’s arms. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I think-” his voice cracked, causing him to clear his throat and start again. “I think she’d want a hunter’s funer…”  
Castiel trailed off as he watched Rue’s body fading slowly. “W-what? N-no she- stop!” He screamed out loud, hoping whoever was taking her could hear him. “You need to stop, you can’t take her!”  
“Cass, Cass, shh, you can’t- you have to quiet down, we’re in the middle of nowhere and we’re exposed, you have to stop screaming,” Dean begged, as Castiel stepped back from him.

Turning in circles Castiel kept screaming, any progress in calming himself down completely gone. “You’re all sick! You’re all sick fucking humans! She was only a child! She had her whole life ahead of her, and you threw her in here! Screw you, screw all of you!”

Castiel eventually felt hands on his shoulders from behind him as he jumped and staggered away, only to be pulled close to Dean. Castiel wrapped his arms around Dean tightly, realizing that if Dean was able to hug him, Rue’s body must’ve vanished completely. Usually as soon as Cass was holding onto Dean he’d find himself relaxing and feel a calming sensation run through him, but not this time. This time, Castiel was taking deep, gasping breaths as he struggled to calm himself down.

Dean was  _ sshhhh-ing  _ him almost desperately. “Cass… angel, please…  _ Stupefy!”  _ One of Dean’s hands had left his back before the spell, and Cass sucked in a shuddering breath, burying his face in Dean’s neck. Dean tightened his grip with the arm he still had wrapped around him, and used it to turn them slightly. “ _ Impedimenta! Sectumsempra!”  _ They turned slightly again, and Cass lifted his head as Dean nearly screamed the shield charm. It encased them once more, and Castiel blinked as he saw why. 

They were surrounded. 

**_Hogwarts: Sirius_ **

Sirius was sitting in the Gryffindor common room with Finnick, Sam and Alyssa when Professor Mills came in. “There’s been an update with the Mudb-- with the Games. You all need to report to the Great Hall. Quickly now, c’mon, guys.” 

Sirius stood up quickly. “Is it Dean?” 

Sam looked from Sirius to Professor Mills with a horrified look on his face. “Did someone win?” 

Professor Mills raised her hands. “I don’t know, I’m so sorry. They don’t tell me anything other than when I need to get all of your butts to the Great Hall. Now go on, the faster you get there, the faster you’ll find out. Not that that’s -- just go.” She disappeared up the stairs to the girls dormitories, and Sirius bolted for the portrait hole. 

He was shoulder-checked by Sam, who was larger than he was by quite a bit, so Sam made it out into the corridor first. Sirius climbed through and Finnick followed, and the three half-sprinted towards the Great Hall. 

Sam stopped outside of the doors, breathing heavily and looking around. “Where’d Alyssa go?” 

Sirius shook his head quickly. “I don’t know, move. Move!” He pushed Sam out of the way and opened the door. There didn’t appear to be much need to rush, because the room was still mostly empty. He took his seat at the Gryffindor table and the others started filling the seats around him. 

Finnick, Sam and Alyssa were there not too long after and sat down at the same table, Finnick’s leg bouncing under the table.

Sirius tapped his fingers on the table. “I swear to god, if that dumb son of a bitch got himself killed, I’ll  _ kill  _ him.” 

Alyssa squinted at him. “I don’t think that’s how that works, but…”

Sam shook his head quickly. “It’s not him, it _ can’t  _ be him. It’s not- there’s no way.” It sounded as if he was trying to convince himself more of this than anyone else.

Finnick looked at the table. “It’s either him, Castiel, or Rue. They’re the only ones that went in. No matter how this shakes out, we’re losing somebody. Let’s try not to argue about who it is or isn’t, we’re gonna find out soon enough.” 

Alyssa breathed out. “You’re right, you’re right.”

Once the Great Hall was full now and as soon as the last student sat down, Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane were on the stage. “Attention, attention! May we have your attention!”

Sirius muttered under his breath but turned to look at the two. His fists were clenched on the table in front of him, and if he clenched his jaw any tighter, his teeth might break. 

“Thank you.” Flickerman grinned, looking out over the crowd before speaking again. “Now, as you can all assume we haven’t brought you here for no reason. Someone within the Games has died. Would anyone like to place their bets?”

Anger rose in Sirius like a wave. He slammed his fist on the table as Finnick got to his feet. 

“I can tell you it  _ wasn’t  _ Finnick Odair, Sirius Black, Cato Chester, Ash Harvelle, Luna Lovegood, Alecto Carrow, Beetee Latier, Newt Scamander, or Jack Morningstar.” All around the Great Hall, the tributes that escaped stood to join Finnick. Even Cato, to Sirius’s surprise. 

Sam looked around but didn’t say anything, Seneca Crane narrowing his eyes. “Sit down.”

“No. I think we’ll stand, until you tell us who died.” It was Cato’s voice that filled the hall, and Sirius nearly fell over from trying to turn to look at him. “He’s right. We’re good standing,” Sirius added. 

“Alright, then. Since you’re all so eager to learn who died, why should we keep you waiting?” Flickerman sneered, stepping forward. “We’re making this announcement this afternoon to alert you that…”

“For fuck’s sake, dickbag, just spit it out!” Cato yelled. “Nobody gives a shit about you, so do what you need to do and get the fuck out.” 

Flickerman shifted his eyes to Cato for a long moment and then clicked his tongue. He then looked back to the Gryffindor table before saying, “Hufflepuff’s fifth year, Rue Marsh!”

Sirius breathed out a sigh of relief that it wasn’t Dean, but his heart broke for Rue and her family. Still, for him, this was the best case scenario. 

Across the room, Charlie Bradbury and Hael Vetter started crying, and Sirius looked back at Flickerman. “Are we done?” 

Finnick’s jaw was clenched as he looked to Sirius and then to Flickerman again. “I don’t give a shit if we’re done or not, I’m leaving.” He aggressively shoved his chair back once more and turned, heading towards the entrance of the Great Hall.

Flickerman waved his wand and the doors swung shut in front of him. “You’re not done until I say you’re done.” 

Headmaster Shurley stood and cleared his throat. “Actually, Caesar, this castle is…  _ mostly  _ back under my control. You came here to deliver the message that poor Rue Marsh is no longer with us, and you have delivered that message.” Shurley waved his own wand, and the doors opened again. “They are free to go if they don’t want to listen to you any longer.” 

Finnick looked back at Sirius briefly and shook his head, before storming out of the Great Hall. 

Without hesitation everyone else in the Great Hall stood and made their exits as well. Sirius swallowed and leveled a glare at Flickerman. “We will end you, you know that right?” He shifted his eyes to Crane. “You and your ugly mustache too.”

He turned and left the Great Hall, making his way back to the common room. He ducked inside the Fat Lady portrait and joined everyone.

Sirius took in the scene around him. Alyssa was sitting on the ground with her knees tucked to her chest, crying softly. Sam had his arm draped around her and was rubbing her arm gently. Finnick was pacing the common room with his fists clenched at his sides, mumbling incoherently to himself. 

“It’s not fair, she was just a kid.” Alyssa sniffled, her eyes closed.

“We’re all just kids, Lys. None of this shit is fair.” Sam kissed the side of her head.

“Listen, I’m not saying I’m not thrilled that Dean’s alive because I  _ am _ . I’m beyond thrilled that Dean and Castiel are both still out there fighting, but Rue? She was the sweetest kid I’ve ever met and now she’s dead because of Voldemort who doesn’t even have the balls to show himself!” Finnick shouted, kicking out the legs of one of the tables in there. “This entire place is fucking bullshit!”

“Finnick!” Sirius yelled, grabbing his attention. “You need to calm the fuck down, man. Getting yourself worked up like this isn’t going to benefit anyone  _ or _ anything, alright? Just- just take a breather.”

Finnick dropped his head between his shoulders and took a deep breath, his shoulders visibly relaxing. “You’re right, you’re right, sorry.”

Sirius pointed his wand at the table Finnick broke. “ _ Reparo.”  _ Once the table was mended, he took a deep breath and looked at Sam. “So, Dean’s alive then. There’s still…” Sirius trailed off, knowing that “hope” wasn’t really the word he was looking for. 

“A chance that he’ll have to kill Cass to make it out of there? Yeah, there is, and he’s not gonna do that. He’d let Cass kill him a thousand times before he even considered that as an option.” Sam stood up and crossed his arms, walking over to Sirius. “We’ve gotta do  _ something _ .”

Sirius agreed with Sam’s summary of the situation all the way around. “I’ve been saying that since the day I got back here. I didn’t come back to Hogwarts to fucking  _ learn.  _ I came back here to do something, and I thought Team Free Will or whatever the fuck we’re calling ourselves was going to do more than cuss at Flickerman.” 

Finnick rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall. “So, let’s do something, then. Let’s come up with a goddamn plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry.


	24. Paradise City

**_Purgatory: Dean_ **

Dean looked around for Castiel but couldn’t see him. He frowned, and Gabriel approached him. “What’s the matter, lost your angel again?” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “He just… likes to be alone sometimes, it’s not a big deal. Losing Rue really fucked him up.” 

“Obviously. It’s been over a month. We’ve lost two other people in that time, you’d think he’d get over it.” Gabriel shrugged. “It’s just part of life in the big P.” 

“Doesn’t make it any easier, okay? So why don’t you back the hell off if you’re not gonna be useful.” The month spent at Bobby Singer’s base camp hadn’t done much for Dean’s temper. They were always busy, and he didn’t make any of the decisions here. It was nice in the days following Rue’s death, because Dean could just run on auto-pilot - following orders and mindlessly helping out around the camp. He wondered on more than one occasion if he’d ever get the chance to thank Mrs. Black for the two silver bullets she’d put in the gun she’d sponsored him with. He wasn’t sure he’d have been able to take Garth down without it, because at the time the only other thing he had on him was a stick that he’d transfigured to pure silver when they were still under the impression they’d find Rue alive. 

He was vaguely aware that Gabriel was still talking, but he was sharpening blades and still looking around for Cass. He’d been gone for hours this time, and that wasn’t like him. He set the blade and the whetstone down and cut Gabriel off mid-sentence. “Yeah, great. Hey, I’m gonna head out for a bit.” He didn’t wait for Gabriel’s response. 

Dean jogged across the camp to the edge of the river where Cass usually went to find some peace and quiet. Sure enough, he was laying on the riverbank and staring up at the sky. Dean walked over and sat down next to him, looking out over the water. “I was starting to think you ran out on me, Cass.” 

Cass shook his head subtly, keeping his eyes on the sky. “No, I’m still here.”

Dean looked at the ground. “You cold? I can get you a blanket.” 

“I’m okay. Thank you, though.” Castiel nodded, sitting up slowly, bending his knees and resting his arms on them.

“Yeah, sure thing.” Dean scooted closer to Cass so their shoulders were touching. “I miss you.” 

Castiel closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, nodding again. “I’m sorry, Dean. I miss you too, I just-” he fell silent.

“Hey, hey… no. You don’t need to apologize, Cass. I just wanted you to know you’ve still got people, okay? I’m not mad.” He looked at Cass and nudged him gently. 

He leaned against Dean’s arm now, resting his head on Dean’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to do anymore, Dean.”

Dean’s stomach dropped. “I know that, Cass. I do.” His voice was quiet, and he turned head to kiss the top of Cass’s. “We just need to keep fighting, that’s all. We gotta get outta this shithole.” 

Castiel let out another deep breath. “I know we do, Dean.” He sat up again, and looked over in the direction of the camp. “What’s going on at camp?”

He shook his head. “Nothing interesting. Same shit, different day. It’s like they’re not even  _ tryin’  _ to get outta here anymore.” 

“We can’t stay with them forever, Dean. Not if they want to stay here forever. We need to leave and find somewhere else and find the portal,” Castiel rambled, looking over at Dean. “I want to leave this place.”

“Yeah, you and me both. I was thinkin’ the same thing though. As nice as it’s been to have a tent and basic human necessities, I think it’s time we move on. I can uhh… I can talk to Bobby tonight.” 

Castiel nodded. “Perhaps we can spend one more night here, and then leave. I don’t think the others like me very much anyways. I haven’t been very helpful around here.”

Dean smiled. “Good, I want you all to myself anyway. Besides, I think I’ve been helpful enough for both of us, so they can friggen eat me. You needed space, fuck them if they didn’t get that.” 

Castiel’s shoulders relaxed, looking up at the sky. “Thank you, Dean.”

He nudged him again. “It’s what I’m here for, angel. You wanna come back with me or stay here for a bit?” 

Cass shook his head, looking over at Dean. “I’ll come back with you, I think. I’m a little bit colder than I let on.”

Dean grinned. “Then let’s go. We can save the awkward goodbye chat for the morning. I think everyone should be headed back soon, it’s gettin’ dark.” He stood up, reaching his hand out for Castiel. 

Castiel looked up at him and took Dean’s hand, standing up. He dusted his pants off and held onto Dean’s hand tightly. “I’m ready.”

He leaned in, kissing him quickly and then started walking back to base. “Wonder if Bobby’s finally gonna tell us what he meant by using shapeshifters to screw with the Death Eaters.” 

Castiel shrugged, but squeezed Dean’s hand nonetheless. “I hope whatever it is really fucking screws with them. I should boycott Hogwarts.”

Dean chuckled. “You? Drop outta school? I’ll have a heart attack and die on the spot, don’t do that to me.” 

“There’s no point in me finishing school- I won’t even be finishing school. I’ll miss graduation and that’s the whole reason people come to Hogwarts in the first place. I mean, I’m glad I have you and maybe if we actually get out of here they’ll just make me restart the year and we can graduate together. That would be something, wouldn’t it?” Castiel  _ actually _ smiled. It was small, but it was the first one since before Rue died.

Dean’s chest tightened at the sight. “Yeah, angel. It would be somethin’.” He wanted to say something more reassuring than that, but he’d given up hope of getting out of Purgatory a long time ago. He’d accepted the fact that he’d die there, and if it wasn’t for Cass, he wouldn’t bother playing house with Bobby and the others. But there was a time when Castiel had kept the faith for him when he couldn’t, so he was doing his best to return the favour. They approached the camp, and almost everyone was huddled around the massive bonfire. Dean looked over at Cass. “Firewhiskey sounds great right about now, doesn’t it?” 

Castiel nodded quickly. “Absolutely it does, yes.” He shifted his eyes to the tent that him and Dean shared, and then to the bonfire. “I uh- I don’t think I want to sit around the fire tonight. You can, if you’d like to.”

Dean looked offended. “What, and miss out on the best company this place has to offer? Nahh. I go where you go.” Dean hadn’t missed Cass’s glance towards the tent, so he started walking towards it, still holding Castiel’s hand. “I think maybe a little peace and quiet would do us both good, and if I gotta listen to Cressida talk about her fuckin’ haircut one more time, I might actually set fire to what’s left of it.” 

Castiel rolled his eyes with another small smile, ducking into the tent when they reached it. “I don’t think I’ve said more than one word to her since being here.”

“You’re not missin’ much, trust me. Molly on the other hand, Molly Weasley? That lady’s got some stories.” He zipped up the tent behind them and turned to look at Cass. “Her whole damn family was nuts, I swear it.” 

“Oh, really? She seems nice, though. Maybe the crazy didn’t get passed onto her.” Castiel shrugged, shimmying his jacket off. 

He chuckled. “Sure didn’t, she’s the one that had to try to control the crazy. If I were her, Purgatory would look like a damn vacation.” He stretched, thankful for the magically expanded tent which gave them more than enough room to move freely inside, despite its tiny exterior. 

Castiel kicked his boots off and laid down, getting comfortable in the blankets and pillows. “She may be the only one who feels that way.”

“I’m sure she is.” Dean tossed his boots next to Cass’s and crawled in next to him. He let out a breath as his eyes scanned Castiel’s face. “Then again, you and I could be in fuckin’ Potions right now instead of in bed together, so… I guess it ain’t all bad.” 

Castiel nodded and watched Dean’s mouth, kissing him after Dean finished speaking, closing his eyes.

Dean moved closer, snaking his arm around Castiel’s waist as he deepened the kiss. He pulled back after a moment to mutter, “thank god for magical soundproofing, huh?” 

“I know. Things would be quite awkward if not, but then again… I don’t really care.” Castiel kissed Dean again, biting his bottom lip.

He chuckled and reclaimed his lip. “Oh, you don’t, huh?” He rolled, swinging his leg over Cass so he was straddling him. “You sure?” 

Castiel looked up at Dean, his hands on Dean’s hips. He lifted Dean’s shirt with his thumbs and brushed them across his skin, nodding. “I’m positive, actually.”

He leaned back, pulling his shirt off. “Then kiss me.” 

\----------------------

The next morning, they woke up buried under blankets and completely wrapped around each other. It took Dean several seconds to work out which limbs belonged to who, but he still didn’t move once he did. He whispered, “Cass, you awake?” 

“Perhaps,” Castiel mumbled, not moving either. 

Dean grinned and kissed him. “Five more minutes, then I gotta go talk to Bobby.” 

Castiel moved closer to him, filling whatever space wasn’t filled. “Mhm, sure, Dean. Five more minutes.”

He huffed. “That’s not fair. You’re so warm, and it’s so fuckin’ cold out there. Maybe we just shouldn’t leave the tent until spring.” He paused, tensing slightly. “Is spring even a thing here?” 

Castiel shrugged and mumbled something that sounded like “I don’t know”, kissing Dean’s chest.

He growled. “Alright, alright. I gotta get up now. That portal ain’t gonna fuckin’ find itself.” He was telling his muscles to move, but they weren’t listening. 

“You-” he yawned, “you don’t seem like you’re getting very far, Winchester.”

Dean’s stomach flipped. “Then  _ make me,  _ Novak.” 

Castiel shook his head. “Make you leave? That’s the absolute opposite of what I want.” He reached up and brushed his thumb across Dean’s bottom lip and then his jaw. “If we weren’t in Purgatory, I’d stay here forever.”

“Yeah, but we are. We  _ are  _ in Purgatory, which means we gotta find the way out. Which… we can’t do from this bed, or this damn camp.” He kissed Castiel one more time and then slid out of the bed, shivering slightly as he looked around for his clothes and started pulling them on. 

Castiel whined quietly when Dean was out of his arms and burrowed under the blankets further. “Keep your conversation civil, alright?”

“Bobby’s been good to us, it’ll be civil as long as he doesn’t try and stop us from leaving.” Dean unzipped the tent and looked longingly at the bed. “Okay, okay. I’ll be back.” He ducked out of the tent and went to find Bobby. He noticed a few members of the camp were already awake and busying themselves, and Dean wondered if that was because they were ordered to, or if they just had as much trouble sleeping as he used to. He walked to Bobby’s tent. 

“Hey, Singer… you in there?” He kept his voice low in case the man was sleeping. 

“Why are you yellin’ at a tent, Dean? You finally gone mad?” Bobby called from behind Dean, his eyebrows raised. 

Dean turned and laughed quietly. “Gone mad? Bobby, I’ve been there for years.” He walked over to him and glanced around. “Hey, listen. Me and Cass really appreciate all the shit you’ve done for us in the last month, but we’re not done lookin’ for that portal just yet, so… I think we’re gonna head out today.” 

“And then come back, yeah? Head out to look and then come back when you don’t find it?” Bobby asked, watching Dean. 

“Not finding it isn’t an option, Bobby. I gotta get Cass outta here. I’m  _ gonna  _ get Cass outta here if it’s the last fuckin’ thing I do.” 

Bobby seemed to struggle to find his words for a moment, before he spoke, “I understand. It’s not gonna be easy for you to find though, Dean. My group’s been here a helluva lot longer than you two and we haven’t found it.”

“Yeah, I know that. But somebody in your group found it, which means it exists. Every year, somebody makes it out. This year, it’s gonna be Cass.” Dean shrugged like that was the most obvious thing in the world. “You guys gonna take me back after?” 

“You’re tellin’ me you’re going to push Castiel through and you’re just gonna… what? Turn around and come back here?” Bobby asked, keeping his eyes on Dean’s face. 

“What choice do I have? That portal’s an ‘Admit One’ kinda deal, it’s not exactly like I have much option. And there’s no point hangin’ around afterwards, so… yeah. Pretty much that’s exactly what I’m gonna do, as long as you guys will have me.” 

Bobby watched Dean, nodding. “Yeah, of course you’re welcome back here, but Dean, does Castiel know that’s your plan?”

Dean shook his head. “Not yet, but I’m gonna tell him. I don’t think he’d ever forgive me if I just threw him through it. And even if I’ll never uh… never see him again after, I still need to know that we’re good.” He cleared his throat and pointedly looked anywhere but at Bobby. 

Bobby squinted at him, nodding once. “Right. I’m not sure you tellin’ him will make it any better, you two are like inseparable.”

“There’s a reason for that.” He paused, and finally decided to tell Bobby at least  _ some  _ of the truth. “You know we both volunteered to come here?” 

Bobby’s eyes widened in surprise. “You  _ what _ ? The hell would you do that for?” 

“Cass volunteered for one of his friends, and my brother got Chosen. It wasn’t even a hard decision for me.” Dean shrugged, looking up at Bobby. “You’re kind of a legend, you know that? Everyone knows about what happened… y’know, with you and Rufus.” 

Bobby chuckled. “A legend, huh? I guess there’s worse things to be remembered as.”

“Yeah, even all these years later, people still talk about you two. Shame, by the way, about what happened to Rufus. We nearly had a repeat this year, the Choosing was a fucking mess. Whole damn thing was rigged from the jump.” Dean and Bobby started walking as they talked, heading towards the treeline. 

Bobby seemed to tense slightly at the mention of Rufus but nodded. “I wouldn’t put it past Dickerman and Crane. They’re assholes.”

Dean laughed. “Dickerman, huh? That’s uhh… that’s good. I’ll make sure to tell Cass to call him that when he makes it back. But uhh… I actually need to talk to you about maybe taking some of your supplies with us when we go. Nothin’ big, mind you… just some uhh… potion ingredients, if you can spare ‘em.” 

Bobby scoffed with a grin. “You know where the potion tent is, Dean. Help yourself, just leave enough of the plants so we can… plant them again?”

“It ain’t really the plants that I need, I’ve seen enough fluxweed and knotgrass around here to brew twelve of what I’m tryin’ to do. It’s your boomslang skin I’m after, and I know you don’t have a whole lot of that.” Dean grabbed the axe that was left leaning up against a tree and began cutting wood, hoping that if he was helpful, Bobby would be, too. 

Bobby stopped walking and watched Dean. “Boomslang? You need that for…”

Dean took a deep breath and stopped chopping wood. “Cuz I need to make a polyjuice potion. The horn of Bicorn is gonna be hard to come by, but I’m pretty sure I saw one my first week here. I can get that right from the source. And I’ve been in that river enough times to know there are  _ plenty  _ of leeches in there.” 

Bobby breathed out and scanned Dean’s face before nodding once. “Take it.”

Dean was almost relieved he didn’t have to explain the entire plan. “I appreciate that. You got any -- nevermind, I’ll just look when I’m back there.” He resumed splitting the logs and glanced at Bobby. “You know how to produce a Patronus by chance?” 

Bobby nodded. “Patronus’ have been around a long-ass time. I can make one. Why?”

“Cuz they’re damn good messengers, that’s why. If you need to contact me, just send yours, and vice versa. Mine’s a phoenix. We don’t know exactly what Cass’s is, but it looks like some kinda angel.” 

“Damn, yours is much cooler than mine. Mine’s just a lame ass dog.”

Dean chuckled. “Yeah, tough break, man. I know a kid whose Patronus is a rat though, if it makes you feel any better.” 

“Yeah, there ain’t much worse than that, is there?” Bobby chuckled as well. 

“Nope, probably not.” Dean set the axe down and started gathering the firewood. “Hey, you never did tell me how you guys use shifters to fuck with the Death Eaters. That’s a story I wanna hear before I die.” 

Bobby grinned, turning to Dean. “Well, you know what shifters do, yeah?” 

He nodded. “Course I do.” 

“They take the form of other people, right? Kill a shifter that looks like one of the tributes… the shifter’s body disappears and surprise, I’m dead to everyone at Hogwarts.”

Dean looked at him in awe for a second. “Dude… that’s fuckin’  _ brilliant!”  _

“Thank you, thank you, I take credit for that one.” Bobby smirked. 

Dean’s mind was racing now, putting together more pieces of the plan he’d slowly been forming for the last couple of months. He nodded to Bobby. “That explains a lot, then. We thought the kid that killed Rue was already dead. So wait… what happens to their bodies if they die for real after a shifter takes their place? Do they just… stay here?” 

Bobby nodded. “That’s what we’ve figured, at least. We haven’t had that happen to us yet, but we figured once the shifter crosses to the other side, they  _ become _ the person they took over.”

“I killed Garth. The uhh… the kid that killed Rue. I didn’t stick around to see what happened to his body though, it was the middle of the damn night and I was tryin’ to get Cass to move and…” Dean trailed off, his face darkening with the memory of how close they got to dying themselves that night. “Anyway, I didn’t stick around.” 

“I don’t blame ya, Dean. That night sounds… sounds like it was rough, to say the least.” Bobby collected some of the firewood, beginning to walk back towards camp.

Dean followed, carrying the rest of it. “Alright then, I think Cass was still sleeping but we’ll get packed up and get outta your hair.” 

Bobby nodded, staying quiet until they reached the treeline. When the camp was in view, he turned to Dean and spoke quietly, “good luck.”

Dean half-smiled at him. “I’ll be back. I don’t know how soon, but I’ll be back one day. I really appreciate all your help, man. Really.” He split off from Bobby, dropping the wood next to the fire and heading for the tent where they keep the potions ingredients. He grabbed the boomslang skin and some lacewing flies, and a couple of empty jars. He tossed them all in one of their makeshift cauldrons, then pointed his wand at it all and said, “ _ reducio.”  _ Once everything was small enough to easily fit in the bag he carried, he picked it up and carried it back to the tent he and Cass shared. He unzipped the tent and went in, seeing that Cass had indeed fallen back asleep. He watched him for a long moment, knowing that Cass isn’t going to like his plan at all - but they didn’t really have much of a choice. He quietly packed up what little belongings they had and then walked to the bed, leaning over and kissing Cass. “Wake up sunshine, it’s time to move.” 

Castiel blinked his eyes open and kissed Dean back, rubbing his them with the palms of his hands. “Did you talk to Bobby?”

“Mmmhm. He’s good with it, he understands that our Games are technically still goin’ so one of us  _ can _ get out.” 

“Right.” Cass sat up, squinting against the light. He looked around the tent and yawned. “Did you pack up already?”

“Sure did.” Dean sat on the edge of the bed and patted Cass’s thigh. “Just waitin’ on you, angel.” 

Cass smiled slightly and nodded, looking around for his clothes. “Did you manage to convince Bobby to let us take some supplies?”

“Uhh, just some potions shit, nothin’ real useful.” Dean frowned, because he honestly forgot to ask about anything else. 

Castiel threw the blankets off of him and shivered, reaching for his shirt. He pulled it on and nodded. “That’s helpful, Dean. It can be, at least.”

Dean let out a breath, because they were in Purgatory where just about everything was a life or death situation, and he really couldn’t lie to him about something like this. “We can’t use them. Well, we’re gonna use them, but we… can’t… use them.”  _ Smooth. Real good explanation, there, Captain.  _

Castiel raised his eyebrow, grabbing his jeans and pulling them on now. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

“It’s ingredients for a specific potion. A sort of ‘just in case,’ kinda potion. So, if you want anything else, you should probably go grab it. Bobby said we can help ourselves to the potions tent as long as we left enough plants for them to grow more.” 

Castiel nodded slowly, standing up. He pulled his jacket on and looked to Dean. “Let’s go, then. I want to find this portal.”

  
  
  


**_Hogwarts: Sam_ **

Sam waited by the front entrance to Hogwarts, bundled up in snow gear. He looked around the castle and then shivered, wondering if it was snowing in Purgatory. He didn’t have much time to dwell on it before Alyssa was next to him, bundled up herself. 

“You ready to go?” Sam asked her, as she nodded.  
“Yes, but I invited a few more people. I hope that’s alright.” She grinned, turning to the staircase on the right to see Finnick, Sirius, Newt and Cato sauntering down the stairs, dressed for the winter weather. 

Sam raised his eyebrows, before pressing his hand to his forehead. “Lys, it’s bad enough they’re meandering around the school and openly threatening Flickerman and Crane, but now you want to take them off of Hogwarts school grounds? This is a disaster waiting to happen.”

“Isn’t everything that involves Winchesters a disaster?” Cato pushed past him, shoulder-checking him. 

Sam grunted and turned to watch him go. “I don’t like him. Like, at all.”

Finnick shrugged. “Nobody does, and yet… he’s always around now. Yay us, right?” He slid his hands in his coat pockets and followed Cato. 

Sam rolled his eyes and took Alyssa’s hand. “Oh joy, this will be a party.”

The group made their way to the old, magical town that is Hogsmeade, stopping by Honeydukes first. Sam picked up a few items, noting the things Alyssa had as well. “Are they out of Peppermint Imps?”  
Alyssa shrugged. “I didn’t see any.”

Sirius had an arm full of them and turned away abruptly at Sam’s words. He called over his shoulder, “nope, they’re all out.” 

Sam frowned but grabbed another handful of Chocolate Frogs. “Oh well, I hope they’ll be some the next weekend we’re here.”

Sam thought he heard Sirius cackle as he walked away, and Newt walked up next to him. “I’ve always been partial to Licorice Wands.” 

Alyssa scrunched up her nose. “Licorice is gross.”

Sam shrugged. “It’s not awful, but I couldn’t eat it everyday.”

“Three Broomsticks!” Finnick called from the doorway before disappearing back onto the street. Sirius followed quickly. 

Sam nodded and payed for his and Alyssa’s stuff, carrying the bag as they made their way into the warm bar. 

Once everyone was seated with drinks, Finnick lowered his voice. “Okay, so any new plans on getting Dean and Castiel out?” 

Sam let out a deep breath. “Maybe we should speak to Headmaster Shurley?”

“If that pea-brained idiot had a plan, your brother and Cass would be home already.” Sirius took a drink. 

“Or maybe he’s too afraid to be the one to come up with the plan. If we come up with the

plan and bring it up to him, do you think he’d help us?” Alyssa suggested, sipping her butterbeer.

Sam shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. “No, no, Sirius is right. Headmaster Shurley isn’t going to be able to help us. We’ve only got Professor Cinna on our side now and he can’t exactly do much without risking his own life.”  
Finnick breathed out, pushing his empty butterbeer glass aside. “All I know is that we need a damn plan. We’re running around like chickens with their heads cut off.”

“Well, if anyone has any ideas at all, I’d love to hear them. Really.” Sam looked around the table and found complete silence. “Awesome.”

“I don’t know, Sam, but I think we should put some faith into Headmaster Shurley. If he wasn’t on our side, he would’ve appeased Seneca Crane and thrown Finn, Sirius and all the others into Purgatory regardless, but he didn’t. That has to count for something, right?” Alyssa asked, leaning back in her chair. 

“I don’t think it counts for much of anything.” Finnick sat back, sipping his butterbeer. “We still had to free ourselves. What we  _ need  _ to do is get our hands on a Death Eater and get them to talk.” 

Sam nodded in agreement. “Why would they talk to us, though? They certainly wouldn’t tell us anything helpful, I’m positive of that.”

Sirius looked at Sam. “They will with the right… motivation.” 

Sam looked across the table at Sirius with a hesitant expression. “What are you implying, Sirius?”

“I’m not  _ implying  _ anything, Winchester, I’m flat out saying it. We  _ make  _ them talk. We need to know where the portal is.” Sirius’s voice was low and he didn’t look at all like he was kidding. 

Finnick grinned mischievously. “Now we’re talkin’.”

Alyssa shook her head quickly. “That’s a terrible idea.”

Sirius leveled a glare at her. “I understand that you’ve got  _ your  _ Winchester right here, but the rest of us don’t.” He looked to Sam quickly. “No offense, but…” He looked back to Alyssa. “You don’t have to help, but  _ we  _ are gonna do whatever we have to do in order to get them back.” 

Sam shifted uncomfortably but ultimately nodded. “Sirius is right, we need to find that portal. We find it, maybe we can… I don’t know, figure out a way to keep the portal open for both of them to escape.”

Finnick smacked his palm on the table. “See? Now  _ that’s  _ a plan.” 


	25. Stranglehold

**_Purgatory: Castiel_ **

Castiel shivered as him and Dean crossed through a shallow river. For the most part, the snow had stopped and was in the process of melting. It wasn’t nearly as cold as it used to be, but it was nowhere near warm either. 

They’d been on the move for what felt like forever, stopping in shitty caves- or anything that could support them, really, for the night. It was still too dangerous to travel at night-time, it wasn’t safe.  _ The risks of stepping on traps skyrocket when it’s too dark to see the ground in front of you.  _ Castiel repeated Dean’s words in his head as they walked, looking up at the sky. At this point, all of Purgatory had blended together and it all looked the same. 

_ I swear we passed this tree three hours ago. And that stump. And that cave.  _ He sighed dramatically, following behind Dean.

“You alright back there, angel?” Dean called over his shoulder, turning around and walking backwards.

Cass nodded and crossed his arms. “I’m fine, I’m just tired. We’ve been walking for...what, ten hours at this point?”

Dean winked and turned around with a grin. “I’d say closer to nine, but somethin’ like that.”

“Besides,” Castiel stopped walking and looked up at the sky, “it’s getting dark, the monsters are going to come out soon.”  
Dean stopped walking and nodded. “Yeah, it’s gettin’ late. If someone hadn’t slept in this morning, we coulda made it a helluva lot further.”  
“It was _you_ who slept in this morning, Dean.” Castiel clicked his tongue and walked to catch up with Dean.

“Yeah, but _you_ didn’t wake me up,” Dean argued with a slight smirk. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now.” Dean turned and scanned the area, pointing to a cave that was off the ground, built into the side of a rock formation. “We could bunk up there for the night?”  
Cass nodded and followed Dean’s gaze. “That looks safe enough to me.”  
“Glad it got your seal of approval.” Dean walked over and kissed him. “I’ll check out the cave. Can you find some wood to make a fire?”

“Yes, I can probably manage that. Don’t get killed, alright?” Castiel breathed out, nodding. “And if you’re in danger, red sparks, right?”

Dean nodded and looked up at the cave. “Yeah, I’ve got it. Make it quick, though. It really is getting dark.”

Cass looked around and pointed. “I’ll be over there, not too far away. I’ll see you soon.”

Castiel turned and headed towards the patch of trees he pointed to, sauntering into it. He stepped over fallen logs that were way too big to carry back, but eventually found some smaller ones. He collected them and turned, pulling his wand out with his free hand. “ _ Lumos _ !” 

His wand illuminated at the tip and he used the light to guide him back to the cave. He climbed the rocks with his arms full off small logs, before ducking into the cave. “I assuming it’s safe in here?”

Dean was leaning over a body without a head. “Is now.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened. “What- is that a person?” He dropped the wood and made his way over to Dean hesitantly.

“Yes, Cass, I killed a fucking human for shits and giggles.” He grabbed the head off the ground and brought it to Cass, pulling back its lip to expose jagged teeth. “It’s not a vamp, but it’s somethin’ close to one.” 

“H-how,” Castiel stepped back from it, swallowing hard. “How’d you kill it?”

“Same way I kill just about everything else around here.” He tossed the head out of the cave and pointed to his silver machete, which was laying next to the body. He leaned over, picking up the body under the arms and dragged it towards the entrance. “Usually try to keep you away from that particular aspect of life here, but some things can’t be avoided I guess.” He disappeared with the body and returned a few moments later, wiping his bloody hands on his jeans. 

Cass shook his head. “No, no I’m fine.” He breathed out. “Just caught me a little bit off guard, that’s all.” He bent down and picked up the wood, piling it in the center of the cave.

Dean put up the protective enchantments and then turned to help Cass. “I’m just glad it was only one, honestly. Remember that cave we found a few weeks ago, the uhh… one by the river where it forks off?” 

Castiel nodded as he pointed his wand at pile of wood. “ _ Incendio _ .”

Dean watched the fire spring to life. “There were four that time. Ghouls, I think. I barely healed myself by the time you got back from grabbin’ dinner.” 

Castiel looked to Dean. “Seriously? Dean if you- if it’s that dangerous I can start scouting out the caves and stuff with you.”

He shook his head. “Nah, I got it. It’s not that bad, honestly.” He smiled sadly. “I think my dad would actually be proud of me, if he actually knew what was goin’ on.” 

Castiel sat down against the cave wall and looked to Dean. He struggled to find his words for a long moment and then gave up, leaning his head back against the cave wall. “Of course he would be.”

“Guess that’s how I know I’m doin’ somethin’ wrong.” Dean opened their bag and started unpacking what little they had. “You hungry?” 

Castiel shook his head. “You’re not doing anything wrong, Dean. You’ve kept me alive for so long, I would’ve been dead as soon as I arrived here if it weren’t for you.” He breathed out and closed his eyes. “But, then again, your dad probably wouldn’t like me anyways, so.”

“He’d like  _ you  _ well enough, he just wouldn’t like what we  _ did.”  _ He paused and looked up. “You didn’t answer my question, do you want food or not?” 

“Then there’s no point in him liking me, is there?” He shook his head. “No, I’m alright. I’m not hungry.”

“I really don’t give a shit what he thinks, to be honest.” Dean started eating some of the jerky he’d been saving from their time at Bobby’s camp. 

Castiel looked to Dean. “But he’s your dad, Dean. He has to matter somewhat to you, right?” He lowered his voice and looked to the cave ground. “That’s one of my biggest fears, you know? That we’ll get out of here but then we won’t… you know…”

Dean didn’t look up. “Yeah, he’s my dad, but… I don’t think he ever saw me as anything other than a soldier, y’know? And when I got my letter and he found out I was a wizard…” Dean trailed off and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. And don’t worry, I can assure you that if  _ we  _ make it out, you got no chance of ever gettin’ rid of me.” 

Castiel opened his arm for Dean and smiled a little bit. “Good, I’d never want to anyway.”

Dean scooched over and leaned against him. “We should get some sleep, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover.” 

Castiel nodded once and kissed the side of Dean’s head. “You’re probably right. You sleep, I’m gonna… I don’t know. Not sleep.”

Dean frowned. “Cass, talk to me. You’re not eating, barely sleeping. You’re hard enough to keep alive, and that’s  _ when  _ you’re actually taking care of yourself. What’s goin’ on?” 

Cass shrugged and stayed quiet for a while. “I’ve been… the nightmares, Dean. I close my eyes and I- I  _ see _ Rue and the hole in her chest where her heart should’ve been and hear her screams and…” he shook his head. “It just messed me up more than I realized, but it’s alright. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Y’know… that night? That was the most scared I’ve ever been in my entire life. The Choosings, the failed escapes, our first night here… none of it even comes close to how fuckin’ terrified I was that night.” Dean watched the fire, his voice low. 

Castiel tensed and pulled Dean closer to him, keeping his eyes on the flames as well. “I know, Dean. I could tell. I was scared too, but I just- I got angry. I got so angry and I put us in danger and I am  _ so _ sorry for that.”

Dean shook his head. “Don’t apologize, Cass. I was pissed too. But we drew  _ so  _ much attention… I honestly didn’t know if that shield charm was gonna hold. Point is that I got kinda fucked up that night, too. But y’know what?” He turned his head to look at Cass. “There’s still us.  _ We’re  _ still here, we’re still alive. Together. Five months later, and we’re still here. So I keep goin’. For you, and for me… and for Rue. She’d want us to keep going, to keep fighting. So I do. Every damn day. Wake up, walk, fight, sleep. Rinse and repeat.” 

A single tear rolled down Cass’s cheek that he quickly wiped away, closing his eyes. “It’s getting harder, Dean. To keep going. The night Rue died I was ready to give up right then and there. Hell, if it weren’t for you, I would’ve.” He opened his eyes again and looked back at the fire. “But you’re right and I know that. I see that now but it doesn’t- it doesn’t make any of this any easier. And then, say we do find the portal, only one of us can make it through. I know that, and we avoid talking about it, but it’s true.”

“We don’t know that, not for sure. Bobby said none of his group has ever found the damn thing. For all we know, it could let a hundred people through it. Personally, I’m not gonna believe otherwise until we see it.” Dean stood up and dusted his jeans off. “Now, come on. If you’re not gonna sleep, we might as well keep walking. We’ll just let our Patronuses out to play and keep the shield charm around us. Hopefully we’ll have enough light that we don’t trip some stupid death bomb.” 

Castiel didn’t move for a long moment, chewing on his lip. He eventually stood and wrapped his arms around Dean, hugging him tight for a moment before pulling back. “Okay, Dean.”

Dean nodded to him after letting go and re-packed the bag. He put the fire out and slung the bag over his shoulder, taking his machete in one hand and his wand in the other. “Let’s roll.” 

** _Hogwarts: Sirius_ **

“You’re out of your damn mind.” Sirius backed up a step, his hands in the air. “No way. That’s a suicide mission.” 

Finnick rolled his eyes. “Wasn’t this  _ your  _ idea in the first place?” 

Sirius shook his head dramatically. “I said we needed to trap a Death Eater, sure. I didn’t say we should outright kidnap one from an update feast. Where would we even put him! Or her. Or  _ it.  _ Those things are barely human.” 

“Same place we hid ourselves for two months. The Room of Requirement.” Finnick shrugged. “Duh.” 

Sam finally spoke up, and Sirius was grateful. “This is insane, Finnick. It’s nuts, even for you.” 

Sirius gave a triumphant ‘Ha!’ in Finnick’s general direction. Cato smacked Finnick’s shoulder. “Screw these pussies, if you’re serious about this, I’ll help you.” 

Finnick narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he rubbed the spot where Cato hit him. “Why would you wanna help? I thought you hated Dean, and you never seemed too fond of Cass, either.” 

Cato scoffed. “I’m not doing this for them,  _ idiot.  _ I happen to hate Death Eaters as much as the next guy, and I’m not gonna miss an opportunity to give one of them a taste of their own medicine. If that  _ happens  _ to help out Winchester and the other one… so be it.” 

Sirius got the impression that there was more to it than Cato was letting on, but he didn’t press him. Sam let out a breath. “Fine. Sirius and I will set up the Room of Requirement, and you two bring the Death Eater to us. Either way this goes, we  _ Obliviate  _ his ass afterwards and no one ever even needs to know he was missing.” 

“Now we’re talking!” Finnick rubbed his hands together. “Bout time you get on board, Winchester. You guys coming to the announcement at all or should we try to do all of this during it?” 

Sam paused, looking like he was contemplating this. Sirius answered for him. “During. You two nab one of the ones no one will miss, and we’ll have him back by the time dinner’s over. It’s pretty much our only window.” 

Cato nodded and smacked Finn again. “Let’s go, Odair. Don’t slow me down.” He turned and started walking away, a grinning Finnick right behind him. 

Sirius looked at Sam. “So, you said we needed to prepare the room. How?” 

Sam stood up and gathered his things off of the table in front of him. “Well, it’s already set up to hide people. I think we just need to…  _ reinforce  _ that. See if we can get the room to soundproof itself or something, and maybe give us a place to actually trap whoever Finn and Cato take.” 

Sirius followed Sam out of the room and turned towards the staircase that would take them up to the seventh floor. “That we can handle.” 

When they got to the section of wall that would reveal the door to the Room of Requirement, Sam started pacing in front of it. He looked almost constipated, he was concentrating so hard. Sirius found himself missing Dean more than normal; he liked Sam well enough, but it just wasn’t the same. 

After Sam’s third pass in front of the wall, the door appeared. Sirius followed Sam into it and stopped just inside the door. “Whoa.” He looked around slowly, surprised to find himself basically standing in a dungeon. There was a chair with belt straps in the middle of the room and a line of knives on a long table. “What sort of dark, twisted part of your imagination did  _ this  _ shit come from?” 

Sam just shrugged, looking pleased with the room. “Not my imagination. This is what my basement looked like when we were kids.” 

Sirius went slack-jawed. “No wonder you and your brother are so fucked.”

“We’re not  _ fucked,  _ okay? Our dad was a hunter. Is a hunter. Whatever.” Sam furrowed his brows and leaned against the table, gently pushing the knife closest to him away. 

Sirius watched him warily. “Whatever you say.” He took a seat not covered in leather straps and put his elbows on his knees. “You really think they’re gonna pull this off?” 

Sam pushed off the table, running his hand through his hair as he started to pace. “Who knows. If anybody can, it’s those two. I just hope this doesn’t backfire.” He paced in silence for a moment and then continued. “Let’s run over the plan one more time. They bring him here, we strap him down, we do what we need to do in order to find out where the portal to Purgatory is. We see if he knows anything about Dean or Castiel, or if he can tell us anything at all about how to get them out. We get what we can out of him, then wipe his memory and send him back to the feast.” 

Sirius nodded. “Yeah, Sam. I got it. We’ll have about a half an hour from the time Cato and Finnick show up, unless they get delayed. 

Sam let out a deep breath that he seemed to have been holding for a while. “Alright, then. Let’s steal ourselves a Death Eater.”

The door opened and Finnick and Cato walked in, pushing something unseen in between them. Sirius narrowed his eyes. “You guys honest to god came back empty handed? We’re not gonna get another shot to do this until someone else  _ dies,  _ and by then it’s gonna be too --” 

“Relax, Black.” Cato reached between him and Finnick, pulling some sort of fabric back. In what had appeared to be empty space, there now stood a Death Eater. Not just any Death Eater, either. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. You kidnapped Seneca Crane!” Sirius’s voice roze at least three octaves, and Sam was standing next to him in stunned silence. 

Finnick picked the bundle of translucent fabric off the ground as Cato manhandled a struggling Crane into the chair and strapped him down. “Professor Mills gave me this during all the sponsor bullshit for the Games. It’s some kind of invisibility cloak. And yeah, we stole Crane. If anyone’s gonna know details about the portal, it’s him.”

Sam’s panic levels seemed to rise. “They’re gonna know he’s missing if they haven’t figured it out already! Flickerman is gonna kill us!”

Cato scoffed. “He didn’t even see us take him, will you relax? We wipe Dumbass’s memory after, just like we said… and no one will be any wiser.” 

Sam nodded and looked to Seneca Crane, his panic turning to anger. “Are you sure we can’t just kill him afterwards?”  
Finnick grinned. “Oh, accidents happen, Winchester. Don’t worry.” He walked over to the knives laid out on the table and glanced over his shoulder at Sirius and Sam. “Nice work, guys. This should do just… fine.” He picked up a blade and turned to Seneca. “Cato, lift the silencing charm. Let’s get this party started.” 

Cato turned to Crane with his wand pointed at him and lifted the charm, Seneca immediately yelling as soon as he was able to. “HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! YOU’RE ALL ROTTEN LITTLE BRATS! HELP!”

Finnick shifted the knife to his other hand and punched him in the face. He pulled back, shaking his hand in the air as Crane continued to yell. “Fucker’s got a hard head.” 

Sirius looked at Crane. “Tell us what we need to know, and we’ll let you out of here. It’s that simple.” 

Crane scoffed and struggled against his restraints. “If you think I’m telling any of you anything, you’re highly mistaken. Kill me if you must, see what happens to Dean and Castiel then.”

Cato shrugged, looking around. “Anyone have any objections to killing him? It’s not like he’s gonna help Winchester and Novak if we leave him alive anyway.” 

Sam glared at Seneca, crossing his arms. “You could make this simple and walk away right now. We’d let you go and we can all carry on with our lives.”  
“Bite me,” Crane sneered, shaking his head. “Just like that werewolf did to Rue Marsh. You wanna know how I know it was a wolf? Her heart was missing from her chest and all that was left was a gaping hole.”

“Fine, have it your way.” Finnick raised his wand and pointed it at his chest. “ _ Sectumsempra!”  _

Sirius watched in horror as the blood started to seep from deep gashes on Crane’s chest. Finnick snarled at him. “Now, the way I see this… you can talk, and one of us will save you. Or, you can shut your fucking mouth for once in your life… and then die.” 

Crane cried out and thrashed against the restraints, breathing heavily. “Ask… me… a question… then.”

“Where’s the portal you guys use to drop people in Purgatory?” 

Through the pain, Seneca Crane snickered. “I… don’t… know…” He groans loudly and throws his head back.

“Bullshit, you don’t know… you would have taken us there if Winchester and Novak hadn’t gotten the drop on you.” Sirius kneeled down in front of him. “You’re bleeding out quicker than most… better talk fast.” 

“Fuck! Okay, okay! I’ll tell you just- just make the bleeding stop.” Crane begged as he squeezed his eyes shut. “Make it stop.”

_ “Vulnera sanentur.”  _ Sirius had been there the day that he saw Dean heal Prim Everdeen from the same curse, but he wasn’t quite as sing-songy as he should have been. The bleeding slowed, but didn’t stop. “Speak.” 

Crane’s knuckles were white from holding onto the arm rests, clearing his throat. “It’s… the Forbidden Forest… all the way at the back.”

“He’s lying. If the portal was on school grounds, Headmaster Shurley would know about it.” Sam shook his head, and at his words, Finnick punched Crane again.

Crane’s head snapped to the side, his nose bleeding now. “I-I’m not lying, I keep my word.” He spits out blood that lands near Sirius’s feet. “The Forbidden Forest, off the trail near the back right side.”

“ _ Vulnera sanentur.”  _ Sirius did better this time, and even better the third. With another couple of quick spells, his robes were repaired and his broken nose was fixed. “One last question and you can go. Refuse to answer, and Cato slits your throat.” Sirius’s blood was pumping quickly through his veins, and he prayed to whoever would listen that Crane would just answer the question because he wasn’t prepared to kill  _ anyone. “ _ How do we get more than one person out of Purgatory?”

Seneca chuckled, grumbly and low as he shook his head. “It’s not possible, you idiots. If it was, more people would’ve escaped. One person gets out, the rest are locked in there for eternity and eventually meet their inevitable death. Any more questions, boys?”

“There has to be a way. If you guys rigged it with traps and shit, that means you’ve gone in and out.” Cato stepped forward and turned the blade in his hand. “You got one more shot to tell me the truth.” 

Crane’s eyes travelled up and down Cato’s intimidating form. “There’s another entrance, but it’s inside Lord Voldemort’s mansion. It’s the only way in and out for multiple people, but it only works if you’ve got the Dark Mark.” 

“Finally, something you said that I actually believe.” Cato put the silencing charm on him again and magically bound him as he undid the physical straps that held him there. Finnick grabbed the invisibility cloak and put it over Crane as Cato stood him up. “I think you guys can handle getting this fucker back where he belongs. I’m guessing you idiots are going to want to actually  _ save  _ those two morons, so I’m gonna go see what I can find out about getting the Dark Mark.”

Sirius and Sam nodded to Cato, who left quickly. Sirius took Crane’s other side and helped Finnick maneuver him out of the room. “Okay, we need to get him back where you guys took him from and wipe his memory.” 

Finnick nodded in agreement. “And we need to avoid everyone in our path as we make our way back. Especially Peeves. Fuck that guy.”

“He’s not that bad if you know how to handle him.” They guided Crane back down towards the Entrance Hall. “Where’d you take him from, anyway?” 

“We nabbed him literally right here.” Finnick stopped walking just outside of the Great Hall. 

“You took him out in the open like this?! Are you fucking kidding me?” Sirius looked incredulous as he reached for the invisibility cloak. 

“No, he’s  _ not  _ ‘fucking kidding’ you, Mr. Black.” Sirius’s head whipped around to see a very irate, very sadistic looking Caesar Flickerman looking back at him. “Now… let’s see. Kidnapping a professor… torturing one of Lord Voldemort’s most trusted… yes, yes. I think you have  _ finally  _ given me the reason I’ve been looking for, Mr. Odair. It’s a shame you told everyone you escaped… I could have made this look like an unfortunate Purgatory accident. Oh well, once people find out what you did, it’ll be easy to say I acted in self-defense.” 

Sirius and Finnick dropped the still-bound and silenced Crane and drew their wands. Neither of them were quicker than Flickerman, and Sirius’s heart stopped beating entirely as Caesar Flickerman pointed his wand at Finnick’s chest and hissed,  _ “Avada Kedavra!”  _ and a flash of bright green light filled the Entrance Hall. 

For the briefest of moments, Finnick Odair looked like he’d just walked in on something he shouldn’t have seen. Then slowly, the shock faded from his face as the light faded from his eyes. Flickerman laughed triumphantly as Finnick crumpled to the ground, every bit as dead as tiny, innocent Rue Marsh. 

\-----------------------

Two weeks later, Sirius woke up screaming from another nightmare. Sam and James were by his side in seconds, throwing open the curtains around his four-poster bed. 

“Wh-what’s wrong?” James asked through a yawn, and Sam smacked him in the shoulder.

Sirius put his face in his hands and tried to stop himself from shaking. “Just go. I’m sorry I woke you up.” 

Sam sat down on the bed next to him. “Look, man. Losing Finnick like that fucked us all up, okay? You don’t have to hide it or - or try to act tough. I might not wake up screaming, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think about him and that night constantly. I’m  _ constantly  _ wondering if what happened to him was my fault because I didn’t try to stop you guys from kidnapping Crane.” 

Sirius’s pain slowly worked its way into anger. “That’s the problem with you Winchesters, you know that?” He looked up, his hands shaking harder now. “You think everything in the fucking world is yours to fix… yours to control. Your brother had that same attitude and look where it fucking got him. In god damned Purgatory, because he had it in his head that it was his job to save  _ you.”  _ Something in Sirius’s mind told him he shouldn’t have said that, but he didn’t care. He never liked Sam half as much as he liked Dean, and he was drowning in so much survivor’s guilt that it was a miracle he was still breathing. He didn’t have the energy to be nice, not anymore. “Finnick died, Sam. He’s  _ dead,  _ he was fucking  _ murdered  _ right in front of me, and all you wanna do is have a twenty-four seven Sam Winchester pity party.” He whipped the blankets off of him and angrily got to his feet. He could see the shocked and hurt look on Sam’s face, which just pissed him off even more. “Not everything is about you, so just… back the  _ fuck  _ off, Sam.” 

James moved in front of the door to the dorm, blocking Sirius’s path out. “Sit your ass down. Now.” 

Sirius glared at him, his eyes nearly closed they were narrowed so far. “Fuck you, James. Get out of my way.” 

James raised both arms and pushed him in the shoulders, knocking him back a few feet. “No. You don’t get to do this. I understand that you’re pissed, Sirius, I do. But you don’t get to take it out on me, or Sam, or anybody other than Flickerman, Crane and Voldemort. Now  _ sit your ass down.”  _

All the fight went out of Sirius at once, and he obeyed James. 

“Good.” Sam sat down on the bed again on one side of Sirius while James sat on the other. Sam was speaking softly, and reached out a hand to squeeze Sirius’s shoulder. “We all lost him, Sirius. Finn was like another brother to me, you’re not the only one that cared about him.” 

Sirius closed his eyes and put his head in his hands, unable to stop tears from escaping. “I know that, Sam. I-trust me, I know that.” His hands started shaking again and he dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. “I fucking  _ hate  _ them. I hate all of them. First Dean, then Rue, now Finnick?”

“Hey, Dean isn’t dead yet, and he’s not  _ gonna  _ die, either.” James nudged him. “I know you guys think he’ll never make it out because he’ll never leave Cass behind, but I think if anyone can find that portal into Voldemort’s fucking living room, it’s those two.” 

Sirius sniffled and wiped his nose with his sleeve, and then nodded. “You’re right. They found a way to get nine of us out before we ever set foot in Purgatory. Not one tribute ever escaped until those two volunteered.” He nodded more instistantly. “Yeah, yeah they’ll figure it out. They have to.” 

“The school year’s over next week. Do you think we’ll hear anything over the summer?” Sam sounded like he was nervous to hear the answer, but he leaned forward just the same.  
“I’m sure you guys will,” James said. “Do your parents even know about this?” 

Sam shook his head. “I have no idea. They suspended all owl post at the beginning of the year and I didn’t go home for Christmas, so I don’t have a clue what they know.” Sam’s shoulders slumped. “I guess that means I have to tell my parents that their other kid might never come back home.” 

James looked up, some of the old fire returning to his eyes. “He’s  _ coming  _ home. Don’t even talk like that.” 

Sirius frowned and laid back down. “It’s up to them, now. Either way. Nobody can save Dean and Cass but Dean and Cass.” 

Sam smiled sadly. “You’re right, and you know what? I think I like those odds.” 


	26. I'll Surely Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halfway through part three!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you all still alive? Still with me?

**_Purgatory: Dean_ **

It took Dean just over three months from the time they left Base to finally spot the bicorn again. He and Castiel had been walking for the better part of the day when he saw the twisted, curled horns disappear into the treeline. He bolted after it, not waiting to see if Castiel was even following him. He weaved in and out of trees, dodging some of the more obvious traps and nearly getting speared by one that he hadn’t seen. The bicorn was wicked fast and excellent at hiding, but Dean had over eight solid months of hunting training under his belt, and he was better. 

As he made what felt like the tenth turn after it, the bicorn finally stopped in a clearing. Dean halted as quickly as he could and braced his palm on a nearby tree for support as he tried to steady his breathing. Castiel caught up with him moments later, breathing equally as heavy. “Dean, w-what the hell are you doing?” 

Dean held a finger to his lips to signal that Cass needed to shut the hell up, and he pointed his wand at the bicorn. _“Incarcerous.”_ Thick ropes wound their way around the bicorn, who struggled and thrashed before falling to the ground, it’s chest rising and falling erratically. Dean raced over to it, muttering “sorry, sorry… I’ll be quick, I’m sorry,” under his breath over and over again. He pulled out his knife and quickly severed one of the bicorn’s horns, and then did the same to the other. “Sorry!” Dean said to the almost convulsing animal, backing away from it slowly. _“Relashio.”_ The binding loosened and fell to the ground and the bicorn scrambled to its feet, moving awkwardly from the equilibrium change. 

Castiel looked absolutely horrified, glaring at Dean. “Dean, what the hell?!”

Dean grimaced, but it quickly faded. “It’ll be fine, Cass.” He stared at the horns in his hand like they were a a winning lottery ticket. “I can’t believe I finally found the damn thing, I’ve been looking for _months.”_

Castiel shook his head, still horrified and confused as hell. “You just- the poor bicorn! What the hell did you do that for?!”

Dean grinned and looked up at Cass. “Cuz I’m gonna get you outta here, angel. And now I’ve got what I need to help me do it.” He’d already gathered the other ingredients that he needed between random stops in Purgatory and what he took from Base, the horn of bicorn had been the last thing required other than some of Dean’s own hair. 

Castiel’s eyes narrowed immediately. “You mean you’re going to get _us_ out of here, right, Dean?”

Dean let out a slow breath. _It’s now or never. You put this off for fucking months because you didn’t know if you could pull it off, but now you know you can as long as you find the damn portal. “_ Cass, maybe we should head back for this conversation.” 

Castiel crossed his arms and didn’t move. “Dean, what’s going on? Why are you- why are you acting so weird? Just tell me.”

Dean frowned, putting his hands on Cass’s elbows and leaning in to kiss him. “I’ll explain everything, but can we please stop somewhere for the night? It’s gonna be dark soon anyway.” 

Castiel scanned Dean’s face but nodded once. “Fine, but then you _have_ to tell me. Do you promise?”

“I promise, okay? I do, I promise.” Dean took Cass’s hand, pulling his arms uncrossed. They walked for a little bit in silence until they found yet another cave. One glance inside told Dean it was uninhabited, which was good. They set up and started a fire, then Dean sat down next to Cass in front of it. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but _you_ gotta promise to let me finish before you get all pissy on me.” 

Castiel tensed and looked to him. “Tell me, Dean. Just tell me.”

He took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m getting _you_ out of here, as soon as we find that damn portal. It’s only gonna take one of us -- don’t worry, I’m gonna _try_ to follow you out, but in the event that the stories are true and it’ll only let one person escape -- it’s gonna be you. It has to be you… I _need it_ to be you.” 

Castiel shooks his head instantly. “No, Dean. No, I won’t leave you, it’s not happening.”

“Cass, you have to. Hear me out, here, okay? Purgatory is crawling with people, _real, human people,_ that need to get the fuck out of here. You’re their best shot, okay? Not me. Not any of them. You are, so I need you to get out so you can come back and save the rest of us.” Dean took Cass’s hand again and laced their fingers, looking at him. “Please don’t fight me on this.”

Cass stayed silent and looked at their hands. “Why me? W-why can’t you go? You can go and be safe and then come back and save us. Dean I- I’ll mess it up somehow. I’ll do something wrong and you’ll be locked in here forever and -” he took a deep breath, his eyes closing. “Please don’t make me do this. Please don’t make me leave you.”

“Cass, it has to be you. I don’t have the guts to go through that portal without you. Cinna, Shurley, the other professors… they’ve always liked you more. They’ll listen to you. You’re way smarter than me and I won’t be able to focus out there knowing you’re still in here. Who’s gonna hunt for you, huh? Who would make sure you ate and didn’t get hurt? Who would hold the fuckin’ shields up when you wake up in the middle of the night from the nightmares that rip you in half? I can’t do it, Cass, I’d fall apart out there worried about you.” 

Castiel jumped up and turned to face Dean immediately. “And you think I won’t worry sick about you everyday, Dean? Do you think I’ll be able to focus?! What if I can’t get you out, Dean? Then that’s on me, and I won’t be able to live with myself.”

“I’m not sayin’ you wouldn’t worry about me, Cass. I’m sayin’ that at the end of the day, nobody’s gonna listen to me out there besides the damn kids. We need the professors on our side, here. The second you get the rest of us out of Purgatory, all hell is gonna break loose on Earth. It’s gonna be an all out fucking war, and you know it.” He pushed himself to his feet, turning to face Cass. “I can’t do what needs to be done out there, but I _can_ keep myself alive in here long enough for _you_ to do it.” 

Castiel’s voice cracked as he spoke, “and what if you can’t Dean? What if I can’t get you out of here? I can’t…” he lowered his voice and looked to the ground, swallowing hard. “I can’t lose you.”

“So don’t fail, angel.” He took a step closer to Cass, his voice unsteady. “You can do this, okay? I know you can, and I’ll - I’ll go back to Base if I can’t get through the portal after you. I won’t be alone, I’ll have Bobby and Gabe and the others until _you_ come back for me. For _us._ We can’t just leave these people here.” 

Castiel shifted on his feet and kept his eyes down, blinking quickly as if he was trying to fight tears. “I…” he paused for a long moment and then nodded once. “If that’s what you want, I’ll do it. I don’t like it and I’m-” the tears were definitely falling now, “I’m so fucking scared but if that’s what you want…” he swallowed hard. “I’ll do it.”

Dean closed the distance between them, placing his hands on either side of Cass’s face and resting his forehead against Cass’s. “What I want… is for this to be over, and you and me to run far the fuck away and never go back. Just you and me, maybe throw Sam and Finn and Sirius and Newt a bone and let them visit every once in awhile, but just - just you and me. But that can’t happen until we’re _both_ out of here and we find a way to take down Voldemort.” He lifted his head and kissed Cass’s forehead. “I know I’m askin’ you to have an insane amount of courage and an even crazier amount of faith in me, but I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I wasn’t sure that you could.” 

Castiel sniffled and closed his eyes again. “I do have faith in you, Dean. I trust you I just-” he shook his head and opened his eyes again. “I don’t trust myself.”

 _Almost there. Finish it._ His eyes flicked between Cass’s and he nodded. “I know. But luckily for you, I got enough faith here for both of us. There’s nobody else I’d trust with my life like this, probably not even Sammy.” He pulled Cass into a hug and held on tight. 

Castiel gripped the back of Dean’s jacket, burying his face in Dean’s neck. “Please don’t die, okay? I- I need you more than anything else. My grandma, my dad, Rue, my mom might as well be dead, I can’t lose you too. Please don’t let me lose you too.”

Dean fought tears as he spoke. “I’m not gonna die, angel. I’m gonna be waitin’ here for you to come back for me. And I know you will, I know you’ll come back.” He pulled back from the hug, knowing this part was almost over. “I’ve thought about this every fucking day for months, and I think I’ve got a plan if you’re ready to hear it.” 

Castiel looked a little panicky and really unsure but he nodded and wiped his cheeks with the backs of his hands, keeping his eyes on Dean. “T-tell me what I have to do.”

Dean let out a small breath. “Okay, I’ve been gathering the ingredients for polyjuice potion and the horn of bicorn was the last one I needed. I’ve been tracking that fucking thing for months. The day we find the portal, you’re gonna take some of the potion so you look like me when you cross over. You didn’t get sponsored by a pureblood family, but I did. If you go through as you, you’ll get taken straight to Voldemort and that ain’t gonna help anyone. If you go through as _me,_ the Black’s will take you, and honest to fuck that’s the best case scenario here. They’re good people, and they owe us a big fat one for savin’ their kid. I figure some point soon we’ll employ Bobby’s shifter-swap method… make one of them look like you and ice ‘em, so no one back on Earth questions it when “I” go through the portal. Everyone with half a brain and a set of eyes knows I’d never walk through that portal if you were still breathin’, and we gotta really sell this shit. You with me so far?” 

Castiel slid down against the cave wall and nodded, covering his face with his hands. “Yes, I think so.”

He pressed on, knowing this was like a band-aid that needed ripped off quickly. “Okay, so polyjuice potion won’t last forever. You’ll need to keep taking it every hour on the hour until you’re safely at the Black’s house, where you’ll give her a letter I’m gonna write explaining that I’m calling in my chips - I saved hers, now she’s gonna save mine. At that point, you can quit taking the potion and if Mrs. Black knows what’s good for her, she’s gonna get your ass back to Hogwarts. Now, the announcement will be made that I won and you’re dead, so you’re gonna have to _hide._ I mean hide good, from everyone but Cinna, Shurley, and Team Free Will. Get as many of ‘em on your side as you can. When you get out of the portal, pay attention to where you land - you’re gonna need to find your way back to it in order to get the rest of us out. I doubt they’ll try to hide the location from you, cuz why the fuck would anyone ever come back here? So pay attention and then work with the others to find a way to keep it open. You still with me?” Dean finally took a breath, looking at Cass with a worried expression. 

Castiel was taking shallow breaths with his face still covered, seemingly overwhelmed with all of this but still, he nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay, I promise I’m almost done. So, once you find a way to keep it open, you come back for me. Get in here and _accio_ the shit outta my Gryffindor shirt, which I’ll make sure to have on every waking fucking second that you’re gone. We can find Bobby and the others together and get everybody the fuck outta this place. The others -- I’m talkin’ Team Free Will here, not Bobby and them - are gonna need to figure out a place to hide everyone until we can figure out what to do with all of ‘em. But that’s it, that’s the plan. And it ends with me and you both free, you got that? Both of us. And I swear to god, angel, if you pull this off… I’ll ask you to marry me right in front of my dad.” 

Castiel pulled at his hair and shook his head quickly, taking a deep breath. “Okay, Dean. I’ll…” he nodded slowly again, “fuck I’ll- I’ll do my best.”

Dean knew he’d pushed him far enough tonight, so he quickly grabbed the blankets from their bag, enlarged them and laid them out. He pulled Cass to him and laid them both down, pulling one of the blankets over top of them and holding Cass tight to his chest. “I love you, okay? No matter what happens, that’s not gonna stop.” 

Castiel relaxed into Dean and nodded, sniffling still. “I love you too, Dean. I’ll get you out of here, I promise.”

He squeezed him, kissing the top of his head. “I know you will, angel. I know.” 

** _Hogwarts: Sam_ **

Sam’s summer had been a long one. As he’d suspected, his parents had no idea that Dean had been Chosen. They hadn’t been told a damn thing, so it was on Sam to break the news that their first born son was likely never coming home. He had braced himself for pain and tears and sorrow, but none came. His mom seemed… sad, but apparently not enough to outright cry. His father simply shook his head, and remarked that he always knew Dean “wouldn’t amount to much. Now, he won’t amount to anything.” 

But Dean _had_ amounted to something, at least as far as Sam was concerned. His brother was a hero -- his hero -- and if their parents didn’t understand that, it was their loss. It had been a year to the day now since his brother had volunteered to take his place in the Mudblood Games, and not a day went by where Sam didn’t think about him or acknowledge the fact that Sam was only free because his brother had chosen to put him first. Sure, the Choosing was meant to be Voldemort and a bunch of Death Eaters ‘choosing’ the tributes that would fight to the death for a place in Voldemort’s new world order, but Dean and Castiel changed that. They had chosen family - chosen friends… chosen love. They had made the choices that day, and in the week that followed when they had managed to get nine of the twelve tributes back home before they could even make it to Purgatory. 

Tears streamed down Sam’s face as he sat by the Black Lake. He never stopped missing Dean, never stopped hating the fact that he couldn’t do more to save him. There had been no news over the summer about him or Castiel, and no announcements this year yet either. Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane had been thrown out of the school by Headmaster Shurley and Professor McGonagall after Finnick’s murder, so Sam wasn’t sure if he’d ever hear another update about his brother or his friend. 

Flickerman’s trial was in two days, and Sam and the other tributes had been called as witnesses for the prosecution. Sam had never seen a wizard trial, but he knew they took place somewhere at the Ministry of Magic. If Flickerman was found guilty, he’d likely be serving a life sentence in Azkaban for not only murder, but using an Unforgivable Curse on another human. Sam knew the chances of him not walking free were slim since Voldemort controlled the Ministry and the wizarding world as a whole, but he hoped that Voldemort would be pissed enough that Flickerman lost control of Hogwarts that he wouldn’t intervene on his behalf. He thought there was at least a decent chance that they’d get a fair trial, and Sam had been studying magical law and court proceedings for the last few months in preparation. 

Everything came down to this decision. If Flickerman was found guilty of Finnick Odair’s murder, the tide would turn and maybe, _just_ maybe, they’d be able to gain some momentum in their otherwise stagnant war against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Their rebellion had started with kidnapping Crane, and ultimately had culminated in Shurley and McGonagall kicking Crane and Flickerman out of the school. A few days later, Professors Greyback and Crowley followed them. Sam had no idea what was going to happen at this year’s Choosing with both of their usual hosts banned from the castle grounds, but he only had a few more hours to ponder that, as the Choosing was that evening. 

He stayed at the Black Lake as long as he dared. He came here a lot to be alone, drawing some small level of comfort from the water that barely rippled in the wind. The Black Lake was home to several sea creatures, including a giant squid, and yet… there was rarely a disturbance on the surface. Sam took strength and guidance from that as he stood up and brushed the dirt off of his pants. _Ignore the chaos. Don’t let them see what’s going on inside of you. Dean would want you to be strong._

He wiped a few stray tears from his cheeks and took a series of deep breaths as he started making his way back to the castle. He knew, logically, that he was safe this year - the fact that he didn’t make it to Purgatory didn’t matter - his name came out of the Goblet of Fire last year, which meant it couldn’t do so again. But that thought didn’t entirely make him feel any better, because part of him thought that maybe he should go in there after Dean. He wanted to, oh… he wanted to. He’d thought about it dozens of times. He always came to the same conclusion though that if there was a way out, Dean would have found it by now so volunteering as well wouldn’t do anything but piss Dean off. No, at the end of the day, Sam was of more use to Dean and Cass at Hogwarts than he’d ever be in Purgatory. He would just be another burden, another person that Dean had to look after. He hadn’t had half the hunter training that Dean did despite only being a year younger, so he knew he’d be more of a hindrance than a help. He had resigned himself to trying to sneak Dean a message with one of the Gryffindor tributes, and he had it written out and prepared already so he could get it to whoever it was before they disappeared tonight. 

He met Sirius and Alyssa in the Entrance Hall, and together they walked into the Great Hall and sat down as close to the Goblet as they could get. He’d also given a duplicate copy of the letter to Sirius, who was seated on the opposite side of the table as him so no matter which side the Gryffindor tributes came up on, they would be able to slip one of them a copy of it. 

Two Death Eaters that Sam had never seen before stood in the back behind the Headmaster and Professors McGonagall and Cinna. Sam straightened up in his chair as Headmaster Shurley magically amplified his voice. “This, by far, is the worst day of the year. I know it, they know it, and all of you know it - so let’s not kid ourselves with Games summaries or - or mock fanfare. I fought this with everything I had, but twelve kids must still be Chosen. I am so incredibly sorry that I have to be the one to oversee this, but it was either me or them.” He jerked his head towards the Death Eaters and then cleared his throat. “I thought I owed you guys at least this much.” He turned towards the Goblet of Fire as the flames turned red, and the Choosing began. 

**_Purgatory: Castiel_ **

Castiel didn’t think he’d ever done this much walking in his entire life. Ever since he’d reluctantly agreed to Dean’s escape plan, he’d seemed almost obsessed with finding the portal out of there. They barely stopped anymore, sometimes walking for twenty hours at a time before either Castiel would beg Dean to stop and rest, or Dean’s legs would just give out and they’d be forced to stop. 

For about a week, Castiel had been trying to keep track of how far they’d gone. Counting steps and estimating distance had been a distraction for him when he and Dean would fall into silence as they walked. They’d exhausted just about every topic of conversation that either of them could come up with, and Cass was sure he knew everything there was to know about Dean Winchester. But this Dean… this Dean was different. He was relentless and hard, more concerned with survival and finding the portal than just about anything else. Castiel supposed he understood that, but some small part of him wished that just for a day, they could relax. Even an hour, really. Just an hour where they could be themselves, unburdened by Purgatory or the weight they’d put on themselves to rescue not only each other, but the tributes of years past. He hadn’t seen Dean smile in what felt like months, and he wasn’t sure if his own facial muscles even remembered how to pull such a thing off. 

Cass had taken to walking a few paces behind Dean lately. It was partially because it was difficult to keep up with Dean’s bruising pace, but also because he didn’t have to hide his facial expressions from behind him, and it was nice to watch their Patronuses fly between them. He didn’t have to put on a brave face or pretend that he wasn’t scared out of his mind and sad beyond comprehension. Every once in awhile, he would get a burst of energy and jog to catch up to Dean so he could hold his hand. These moments seemed to be the only times when Dean remembered they were more than their mission, unless you counted the nights. 

Neither one of them slept much anymore between the constant need to search for the portal and the nightmares that plagued them both, but they’d lie in hidden caves wrapped around each other for a few hours here and there anyway. Cass appreciated those moments, because he was reminded by the way that Dean held onto him for dear life that Dean needed him too. Everything he’d agreed to with Dean’s plan was for _them,_ not just Castiel. He _would_ return for Dean, and get everyone else out, too. Failure wasn’t an option, it just wasn’t. He knew he wouldn’t rest, wouldn’t stop until Dean was back home with him. Where they could finally be together without fear or cavaots. 

He was several paces behind Dean, and so engulfed in his own thoughts that he didn’t hear the monster sneak up behind him. He might not have noticed it at all, if it wasn’t for the razor sharp claws that raked across his back and brought him to his knees. 

He let out a scream and tried to turn, but the almost gorilla-looking monster was on him in a heartbeat. For several long, agonizing moments… Castiel knew nothing but blood and bone-shattering pain as the monster tore and bit into him. He heard the echo of a single gunshot and then the strange whimper of the monster that was now falling away from him. He curled in on himself, unable to pinpoint any single part of him that was hurting - because _everything_ hurt. Dean was yelling from somewhere behind him, and then he heard what distinctly sounded like a blade sinking into flesh and a yelp. 

Moments later, Dean was turning Cass onto his back, muttering a series of protection and healing spells. Cass knew something was wrong - he could hear Dean’s sing-song voice, but the blood wasn’t stopping. He blindly reached his hand up and found Dean’s arm, gripping it as tightly as he could as he cradled his other arm to his chest. “It’s not - Dean, it’s not working.” Castiel coughed and the motion sent searing, mind-numbing pain shooting through him. He forced his eyes open and saw a puddle of blood surrounding him larger than any he thought he’d ever seen. His eyes fluttered closed again in a sort of muted surprise, and he attempted to squeeze Dean’s arm again but couldn’t quite tell if the desire translated to actual motion. 

“Shhh, angel, shhh. Please, it’s gonna be - you’re gonna be okay.” Castiel could feel the warm tip of Dean’s wand repeatedly landing on his skin, and the soft, melodic tone of Dean’s voice was comforting to him. He smiled involuntarily at the sound, and then smiled a little wider because he was proud of his muscles for achieving such a rare thing. He would have laughed from the absurdity of it all, but he was slowly fading from consciousness and was now finding it damn near impossible to force his body to do anything at all. 

Dean was crying, but his voice barely wavered as he continued spell after spell, attempt after attempt to stop the bleeding and heal him, but somewhere deep inside of Cass, he knew it was too late. 

He didn’t know if he actually said it out loud or if the words died before they could pass his lips, but he focused every bit of waning energy that he had on trying to say them. “I love you, Dean. I love you. I love…” Cass’s body went limp as everything went black.

**_Hogwarts: Sam_ **

Sam waited outside of the courtroom in the Ministry of Magic with Sirius, Newt, Cato, and the other surviving tributes before the start of Caesar Flickerman’s trial. After the Choosing two days ago, Sam was more determined than ever to see Flickerman brought to justice. He hadn’t known many of the kids that were Chosen, but Sirius managed to sneak poor Prim Everdeen his note for Dean as she took her place amongst the other tributes. Sirius had assured him that if Prim was able to find Dean, she’d give him the note because Dean had saved her life two years prior. 

The door opened and a very official-looking wizard escorted them into the courtroom. Sam glanced around quickly and was startled to see that the room was set up more like a Quidditch Pitch than a standard courtroom, with the seats extending upwards like in a stadium. He suddenly felt very small, but had a small, victorious moment when he saw Caesar Flickerman in the center of the room bound in chains and flanked by two Aurors. Sam had never seen an Auror up close, but they were basically the Ministry of Magic’s version of a magical army. They were both tough, hard looking men with various body piercings and long, leather robes. Sam had a brief thought that if Dean found his way out of Purgatory, he’d fit right in amongst the Aurors. 

From his left, Sirius chuckled quietly and darky. “Good, you son of a bitch. Get used to those chains.” Sam kicked him gently as a reminder that any mis-step, any misbehavior at all on their part might result in Flickerman walking free. As screwed up as it was, Sam was partially glad that Finnick wasn’t here to cause a scene. But then again, if Finnick was here… this trial wouldn’t be necessary at all. Either way, Sam was determined to assist the prosecution in putting Flickerman away for a very long time, because at least then… Finnick would have died for something. 

The man Sam guessed was the judge sat forward from where he was perched high up in the rows of seating. He cleared his throat, which drew the attention of every witch and wizard in the room. “My name is Osiris. I am judge, jury, and if necessary… executioner.” His eyes swept almost menacingly around the room, and Sam shivered. “Caesar Flickerman, you are brought before me today to answer for the crime of murder in the highest degree and the use of an Unforgivable Curse. How do you plead?” 

Flickerman kept his eyes to the ground. “Not guilty, Osiris. I was acting in self-def --” 

“Silence! You will answer only the questions you are asked. You plead not guilty, that is all I needed to hear.” Hope rose in Sam’s chest at the judge’s rebuking of Flickerman, and Newt let out a muffled yet triumphant exclamation next to him. _Maybe this guy will be fair and not listen to Voldemort. We might actually get justice here._

Osiris stood up, folding his hands behind his back as he studied Flickerman intently. “Let us begin. Did you murder Finnick Odair with the Killing Curse?” 

Sam looked incredulous. _Yeah, like he’s just gonna come out and admit -- “_ Yes,” Flickerman’s word rang out clearly through the courtroom, and Sam’s hand shot up to Sirius’s arm, his eyes wide. “Yes, I killed Finnick Odair with the Killing Curse.” 

Sam looked to Osiris with a hope sparking inside of him like he hadn’t known in years. _This is it, we weren’t even needed. He admitted it! Case fucking closed, now pass the sentence._

Osiris merely nodded. “Thank you for not contesting the facts of this case. Now, is it true that Finnick Odair had kidnapped a Professor?” 

Flickerman nodded solemnly. “It is, Osiris. Finnick Odair and some of the other tributes that escaped from the Mudblood Games kidnapped and tortured Professor Seneca Crane, and likely would have killed him had I not intervened.” 

Sam’s stomach sank. If Flickerman was playing up the self-defense angle, this just got a lot harder. One sip of Truth Serum would be enough to prove that they had done exactly what Flickerman claimed they did. This trial had taken a very dark, very un-promising turn in a single sentence. He clenched his jaw and remained silent, knowing he’d have his chance to speak soon. 

“And is it true that you _asked_ the deceased to release the professor prior to taking more drastic actions?” Osiris began a slow descent down the stairs in between two sections of seating, making his way towards Flickerman. 

Flickerman lifted his head to look at the man approaching him. His face was absolutely free of remorse, which Sam was nearly elated to see. _Good, you bastard. Show the judge how unrepentant you are. You’ll be in Azkaban within the hour._ “Of course I did. I asked him repeatedly to let Professor Crane go free and to stop their senseless attacks on him and myself, but then Finnick Odair threatened me.” 

Sam’s anger flared and his hands curled into fists at his side. He looked almost desperately towards Osiris, nearly jumping out of his skin with the desire and need to speak. 

“If you could go back and change the outcome, would you?” Osiris tilted his head, his eyes boring into the man in chains. “Speak true.” 

Flickerman shook his head. “How could I? He would have killed Professor Crane and myself, and who knows who else. He was deranged, always having outbursts of unchecked anger at inappropriate times. Odair was a madman.”  
Sam was shaking now, and he could feel his face heating up. Sirius stomped hard on his foot, which earned him a glare from Sam, but he forced himself to relax his fists because this was far from over. 

“Do you feel… guilty… about killing Finnick Odair in any way?” Osiris paced a slow circle around Flickerman but never took his eyes off of the man. “I will know if you lie.” 

Flickerman shook his head once more. “Guilt? No. Relief? Of course. Odair was a ticking time bomb that could have and would have gone off at any second. The only thing I feel guilty about is that I didn’t have the stomach to do what needed to be done _before_ he tortured an innocent man.” 

It was Newt that grabbed Sam to hold him back. He clamped his hand over Sam’s mouth and forced him back to his seat, although Sam didn’t even remember standing up. Newt’s voice was desperate and quiet as he whispered, “Sam, you can’t. We were never going to be able to speak here, they brought us here to remind us of who we’re dealing with. You _have_ to stay seated, or they’ll find a reason to lock you up instead.” 

Osiris seemed oblivious to the struggle that was occurring off to his side. He finally stopped pacing and stood directly in front of Flickerman. “I have weighed your words and deemed them true. You are not guilty in the unfortunate, untimely death of Finnick Odair. All charges are hereby dropped, and you are free to go.” He waved his wand and the chains binding Flickerman disappeared. Osiris abruptly turned and left the room, and the second he was out of sight, Flickerman turned on them. 

“Enjoy the show, boys? Luckily for me, this particular court rules based on the guilt a person _feels,_ not the guilt they deserve. I have never felt less guilty about anything in my entire life. Valiant effort, for sure… and better luck _next time_.” Flickerman said those last words as if he was implying that there indeed would be a ‘next time,’ and Sam found himself being dragged out of the courtroom by Cato and Sirius. 

“Fucking bullshit, how the fuck do you admit to killing someone and still get off?” Cato’s words were harsh and perfectly echoed the anger that Sam was now barely able to contain. They released him when they were safely back on the street and making their way towards Professor Cinna and the PortKey he held to take them back to the school.

“Well?” Cinna asked as they approached him. Newt shook his head slightly, and that was all the answer Cinna was going to receive because Sam was biting his tongue to hard to actually speak. “We may not have gotten justice today, but one day soon, Caesar Flickerman will pay for what he’s done.” Cinna held out the PortKey and each of the tributes and Sam grabbed on. 

“That day can’t come soon enough.” Sam promised himself in that moment that he was going to kill Caesar Flickerman, or die trying. 


	27. (Don't Fear) The Reaper

**_Purgatory: Castiel_ **

The fact that Castiel was still alive was a miracle to him. Without Dean, he’d have been dead a long time ago, long before his recent near death experience. He had blacked out that night and woken up in the same cave him and Dean were residing in now, sore and confused beyond belief. Dean was across the cave, skinning a rabbit he had caught to make some dinner for himself and Cass assumed for him as well, if he woke up. 

After a brief celebration of Castiel being okay and alive, Dean went on to explain what had happened. “Gorilla-wolf, Cass. I’m tellin’ you, it was unlike any monster I’ve ever seen.”

Castiel remembered the pain of the creature dragging its nails down his back and the sounds the creature was making. Snarling, growling…. More vicious than what Castiel had learned werewolves sounded like. 

“How am I alive, Dean? I remember the pool of blood and- I’m supposed to be dead,” Castiel had told him, a curious expression on his face. Dean replied by telling him that he simply didn’t give up and that they had made it too far to be killed by a monster like that. 

Now, a month later, the only reminder Castiel had of it was the scars that filled the length of his back. After the attack, Dean started insisting that Cass stay inside the cave and “rest”, while he went out and did the hard work.

That was the situation occurring now. Castiel was sat against the cave wall with a pillow behind his back, the star chart spread open on the ground in front of him. He’d had plenty of time to study it, there wasn’t much else to do in the cave.

He sighed out loud and leaned his head back against the cave wall, speaking out loud to himself. “I just don’t understand how a star chart is supposed to help me. ‘Let the stars guide me’ or whatever Cinna said, I don’t understand. I can’t just walk out of Purgatory and back to Hogwarts.”

He reached to one of the canteens they still had and took a long drink before screwing the cap back on and setting it down beside him. He adjusted the pillow behind his back and winced slightly when it brushed against a particularly raw spot. He took a slow, deep breath and then set his eyes back to the star chart. Professor Cinna was kind enough to include a quill with it, so Cass picked it up again and began connecting the stars, his eyebrows furrowed. He’d already managed to name them all, even though this chart was quite different from the ones he was used to.

_ Why did he give me a different one than the ones I’m used to? Is he trying to make sure I continue to be good at Astronomy? And this star…  _ Cass paused his internal monologue, circling it with the quill,  _ I’ve never seen it and I don’t recognize it in the sky. It has to be the bright one, right? The one in the sky that’s brighter than them all? _

He huffed and set the quill down, rubbing his hands over his face. Opening his eyes he realized how dirty he was and made a mental note to get cleaned up once Dean returned from wherever Dean was. He yawned and blinked, looking around the cave. 

They had quite a nice set up, if Castiel was being honest. It was no Bobby’s Base, but it was nicer than the other caves they’d shacked up in for the night before. The fire was still burning bright but Castiel noticed they were getting low on logs.  _ Hopefully Dean remembers we need some.  _

He dragged his eyes back to the stupid star chart in front of him and paused on the note Professor Cinna had included. “You’ve always been my _brightest_ star.” He rolled the star chart up and tossed it aside, shaking his head. “Why is brightest underlined and - why does it matter? It’s not like I’ll ever attend another Astronomy class again. Professor Cinna better find another bright…” Castiel’s words trailed off as he quickly stood and winced slightly, bending down to pick up the star chart. He grabbed his wand from inside his jacket pocket and hurried out of the cave. 

He made his way to just outside the cave where he could see the sky clearly. “ _ Lumos! _ ” He set his wand down on the ground beside him because it was getting dark and unrolled the scroll. His eyes darted back and forth between the chart and the sky, his head tilting slightly.

He heard footsteps to his left, and turned to see Dean approaching. “What’re you doin’ out here, man? It’s gettin’ dark, get your ass back in the cave.” 

“No, no Dean, look!” Castiel exclaimed, showing him the star chart and then pointing to the sky. “Look!”

Dean looks at the chart, then the sky and then turns his attention to Cass. “Okay? You found a star. You’ve found loads of stars, angel. What’s the big deal?” 

“I’ve found all the stars on the chart except this one! I didn’t understand- not for a long time but I do now. When Cinna gave me this, he told me to ‘always find my way in the darkness’ or something and then on the note here, the word  _ brightest _ is underlined and emphasized. What’s different about that star, Dean? The one in the sky?” Castiel looked at Dean, excitement written all over his face.

Dean wasn’t getting it. “Uhh… it’s bigger than the other ones?”

“Yes, yes but it’s bigger _ and _ ...” Castiel watched him, pointing to the note on the bottom of the chart. 

“Brighter. You think Cinna was… what… tryin’ to tell you how to get outta here this whole time?” Dean looked disbelieving but there was hope there too that he wasn’t quite able to hide. 

Castiel swallowed hard and looked to Dean. “I- I- maybe? I mean, why else would he make all the comments about the darkness and the brightness and all that stuff? It had to have meant something I just- I never saw it until now. I never understood it until now.” Castiel rolled up the chart and picked up his wand. “I bet you that if we follow that star, no matter where it goes, we’ll find the portal.”

Dean seemed to struggle with himself for a moment. “It’s late, and I’ve been --” Dean paused, taking another look at the sky. “Yeah, okay. Let’s pack up and get moving.” 

Castiel grinned and leaned in to kiss him before turning quickly and making his way back into the cave. He grabbed the pillows and blankets, turning back to Dean as his stomach sank. If he was right about this, he’d be leaving Dean a lot sooner than he was prepared for. He took a deep, shaky breath because the plan still scared him and nodded to Dean. “Okay.”

Dean magically shrunk everything and shoved it all back in the bag, slinging it over his shoulder. “Lead the way.” 

Castiel tensed but nodded, taking one last look at the cave before leaving it, holding the star chart in front of him while also keeping watch on the sky. He kept switching his eyes between the chart and the sky.

_ Chart, sky. Chart, sky. Chart, sky. Follow the chart and make sure it matches the sky.  _ Castiel was confident in this. It was the only thing that made sense to him and he knew this was Professor Cinna’s style.  _ He’s the head of Ravenclaw for fucks sake, riddles are their thing. You should’ve figured this out from the beginning and maybe Rue would still be alive.  _

He stopped walking for a moment at that thought and sort of accidentally scrunched up the sides of the chart, his eyes closing.

Dean looked at him. “You good?” 

Cass nodded and opened his eyes, letting out a slow breath. “I’m fine.” He smoothed out the edges of the chart and then began walking again. 

_ Chart, sky. Chart, sky. Chart, sky. _

\--------------------------------------------------

They’d been walking for days at this point, Castiel wasn’t sure how many. He knew Dean was getting frustrated, he could tell. His movements, his tone of voice, everything. Castiel knew he was onto something though, he could feel it, but telling Dean that ‘he could feel it’ as the number one reason to why they were doing this… it wasn’t exactly working well.

Dean didn’t question him or try to get him to stop, however. In a lot of ways, Cass knew that Dean was just as eager to find the portal as he was. They had stopped for awhile at a river to get cleaned up and take a breather since the stars currently weren’t visible, and Dean was washing off his blades as he spoke. “You know once we find it, we’ve got work to do, right?” 

Castiel looked over at Dean and nodded slowly, his eyes dropping to the ground. “I know that, Dean, I know that. 

He put the blades back in the bag and stood up. “Alright then, we follow the river till nightfall, then we keep heading towards that star. Let’s move.” 

“Aye, aye, Captain.” Castiel finished rinsing off his face and dried it on his shirt, before turning and following the river downstream. He wanted nothing more to than to escape Purgatory, but the problem was… he was the only one escaping. He’d have to leave Dean behind and work as much magic as possible to pull of this ridiculous plan Dean had formulated. 

They walked for a little longer and then adjusted their path to follow the star, stepping over fallen trees and avoiding anything that looked like it could be a trap.

By the time darkness fell and the stars were visible again, they were both hungry and tired. Dean’s shoulders were slumped and his eyes were downcast as they slightly altered their path to keep following the star. Dean had fallen into step beside Cass, but neither one of them had spoken in what had to be at least two hours. 

Castiel abruptly stopped walking, grabbing onto Dean’s arm. “Do you hear that?” It was unlike anything Castiel had heard before. 

Dean lifted his head and looked at him, a curious expression on his face. He nodded slightly, then held a finger to his lips to signal Cass to stay quiet. Dean silently extinguished the light at the tip of his wand and gestured for him to do the same. 

Castiel swallowed hard and mimicked Dean’s actions, a whole new kind of fear rushing through his body. He blinked and turned slowly, squinting into the darkness to find the source of the noise. 

Dean grabbed his hand in the dark and started pulling him to the treeline that was just barely discernible in the dim light the stars provided. There was something almost… shimmering between two of the trees, and Dean was guiding them straight towards it. 

Castiel’s eyes widened as they drew closer and closer before stopping completely. “N-no way.”

There, visible between the trees, was the portal out of Purgatory. 

**_Purgatory: Dean_ **

Dean couldn’t believe it. He blinked repeatedly, expecting the portal to disappear any moment. But it didn’t. He looked up, and sure enough… the star they’d been following was now directly overhead. “Son of a bitch… you really  _ were  _ his brightest fucking student.” He looked down again and his eyes found Cass. “Dude, you found the fucking portal!” He smiled then, the first truly happy smile he’d donned in damn near a year. 

Castiel seemed unable to look away from the portal, his hands shaking slightly. He eventually turned back to Dean, nodding once. “ _ We _ found the portal.”

Dean shook his head. “No, angel. This was all you. I was headed in the opposite direction until your brilliant ass worked out Cinna’s little riddle.” He dropped the bag he was carrying and kissed Cass with as much gratitude as he could muster, because the giant ball of anxiety that had been weighing him down for months was finally gone. Cass was gonna live. Cass was going home. Cass wasn’t gonna die here with the monsters. 

Castiel kissed him back, his hands on the sides of Dean’s face. His eyes fluttered closed and he pulled back after a moment, looking over at the portal again. He swallowed hard and spoke slowly. “This is really going to happen, huh?”

Dean’s chest tightened as he realized he’d have to say goodbye soon, but he controlled his facial expression and nodded. “Yeah, angel. It’ll be a month before the polyjuice potion is ready, but you’re almost out of here. We just gotta find the shifter and put the plan into motion now.” Dean glued his eyes to the portal and forced his breathing to regulate. With each exhale, he let go of a little bit of the sadness and fear that had been drowning him since their Choosing. “Put up the protection spells. There isn’t a cave close enough, so we’ll need to camp pretty much right here until it’s time. I’m gonna go find a shifter and some more lacewing flies; the ones I got from Base died a while ago.” 

Castiel nodded to Dean, holding his wand. He raised it and said, “ _ Protego Totalum. _ ” The shield sprung to life around them and Castiel tucked his wand away. He looked to Dean and shifted on his feet. “Okay.”

Dean illuminated his wand again and took off into the darkness with his silver machete. It took him awhile to successfully locate and capture a shifter, the first one he came across got the jump on him and he had to kill it. A couple of hours later though, Dean returned to the portal with a magically bound shapeshifter and threw him on the ground. 

“Cass, you gotta touch him.” 

Castiel turned to Dean and then eyed the shifter. He walked towards it slowly and touched its arm, stumbling backwards when it immediately took the shape of himself.

Dean closed his eyes and swung down quickly, stabbing the shifter in the chest with his silver machete. The shifter screamed with Cass’s voice and it sent horrible chills down Dean’s spine, flashbacks of the day he nearly lost him flooding his mind. Thankfully, Dean knew exactly where to strike to cause a speedy death, and within seconds the shapeshifter’s body was disappearing from the ground below him. 

He let out a slow, shaky breath and then got to his feet, wiping the bloody machete on his jeans. He pulled the lacewing flies out of his pocket, and his voice cracked as he looked to Cass. “Where’s the cauldron I ganked from Base?” 

Castiel pulled his eyes away from the disappearing shifter, looking to Dean. “What? Oh, uh…” he pulled his bag off his shoulders and opened it, reaching in. He pulled the cauldron out and set it on the ground, nodding. “Here.”

“ _ Engorgio.”  _ The cauldron returned to its normal size, and Dean started pulling the ingredients out and organizing them, muttering the order and quantities over and over again, afraid he was going to either forget or do it wrong. He added what he was assuming was three measures of fluxweed and then two bundles of knotgrass. He paused for a moment, holding his wand over the mixture. “God damnit, is it clockwise or counterclockwise? I was always shit at Potions.” 

“Clockwise, Dean. It’s… clockwise.” Castiel kneeled down next to the cauldron and Dean nodded gratefully before stirring the potion clockwise four times. He waved his wand and then looked at Cass. 

“You got any idea how to tell time here? We need to wait uhh… shit, you think this thing is brass or copper? I think the times are different for each.” Dean chewed his lip nervously, thinking maybe he was  _ definitely  _ going to screw this up. 

Castiel looked at Dean and forced a small smile. “Relax, Dean. It’s going to work, okay? I promise you, it’s going to work.”

Dean nodded and decided the cauldron was likely copper if it came from a sponsor, so they needed to wait an hour. He remembered the watch he’d had on when they got to Purgatory and dug it out of the bag. It no longer told time, but he hoped it would at least still function on the timer setting, and he set it for 57 minutes and hit start. The seconds started ticking down and he breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, we’ve got like an hour.” 

“And after that hour?” Castiel asked quietly, watching Dean. 

“Then we keep going with it. This potion’s stupid complicated, honestly. It’ll take a whole month before it matures enough to work.” 

Castiel let out what sounded like a breath of relief and sat down on the ground, staring at the cauldron. “Yes, alright.”

An hour later, Dean’s watch dinged to signal it was time to keep going. He added four leeches, two measures of crushed lacewing flies and then heated the mixture for what he counted to be thirty seconds, and then waved his wand. He eyed the potion warily, unsure of exactly what he was looking for at this stage. He didn’t recall having to wait between steps two and three, so he kept going. He added boomslang skin and crushed bicorn horn, then heated it again for twenty or so seconds and waved his wand over it once more. “Alright, next step ain’t for 18 hours.” He set his watch again and then packed up the rest of the ingredients. 

Castiel nodded and watched him, shifting his eyes over to the portal. “It’s smaller than I imagined.”

“That’s cuz it’s only meant for one person, Cass. It doesn’t need to be all that big.” Dean laid out the blankets and the pillows. “You uhh… you okay though? With what we did with the shifter, I mean. Everyone back home’s gonna think you’re dead for a little bit.” 

Castiel watched Dean, shaking his head. “I hate this entire plan, Dean, but it’s the only way- the only  _ possible _ way that we can make it out together.”

Dean’s chest tightened again because he knows it’s not the best plan he’s ever put together, but all he wants to do is get Cass home safely. What happens after that doesn’t matter. He promised he’d get everyone out, and while he couldn’t make that happen for Rue, he could still make it happen for Cass. And the only way to ensure Cass didn’t end up in a fate worse than death was to make sure he got placed with the Blacks, which was why the rest of this asinine plan was necessary. “It’s gonna work, Cass, just like you said.” 

“But what if it doesn’t? What am I supposed to do if I can’t get you out of here?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked back at the cauldron, his jaw clenched slightly.

“You’re supposed to  _ live,  _ angel. Go somewhere Voldemort can’t find you, and live your fucking life. Please, man. You gotta promise me that all this ain’t for nothin’. You gotta promise me that if you can’t get me out, you’ll move on with your life -- cuz that’s the only damn way I’m ever gonna survive here without you.” 

Castiel blinked slowly but didn’t take his eyes off of the cauldron. “I don’t want to live without you, Dean. It’s going to be hard enough without Rue but -- I’m not sure I can survive without you either.”

“You have to. Or at least -- at least could you lie to me? Not right now, but… before you go. Just tell me you’ll do it so I can… so I can believe it even if it ain’t true.” Dean’s voice had dropped to an almost inaudible level and he couldn’t seem to force himself to look up from the ground. 

Castiel sniffled and then cleared his throat, finally looking over at Dean. He blinked and then whispered, “will you lay with me?”

Dean nodded and moved over to the blankets, casting a sideways glance at a couple of monsters just outside their shield. It’d been tested more than once and nothing has ever broken through it, so he wasn’t worried about getting attacked, but he didn’t like the idea of having any kind of an audience, either. He laid down and opened the blanket for Cass. “C’mon.” 

Castiel moved over to Dean quickly, getting under the blankets beside him. He clutched onto Dean’s shirt, trying to steady his breathing. “I don’t want to leave you, Dean.”

When Dean’s chest tightened again, he began to fear for his own health because this couldn’t be good for him. He kissed the top of Cass’s head and held him close. “I know, but that’s why you’re gonna come back for me, right? So we can both leave this entire fucking mess behind us.” 

Castiel’s eyes closed as he nodded against Dean’s chest. “When we both escape, what are you and I going to do? If there isn’t a war, what would you and I do?”

“There’s gonna be a war, angel. After everything we’ve been through, we can’t let this keep happening to other kids. At least I can’t. If I make it outta here, I’m gonna do everything in my power to make sure no kid is ever Chosen again.” 

Castiel frowned and opened his eyes. “But if there wasn’t a war. In an ideal world where there’s not going to be a war, what would you and I do?” He swallowed hard, closing his eyes again. “I just wanted some optimism, that’s all. Something for me to look forward to.”

Dean let out a breath and contemplated that for a long moment. “Well, for starters… I think I told you I’d ask you to marry me right in front of my dad. So when we were done running away from him, I dunno. We could go anywhere, pretty much. Do anything. I wouldn’t really care as long as I had you with me.” 

Castiel smiled small, keeping his eyes closed. “You were serious about the whole ‘asking me to marry you’ thing? I thought- I was scared you just said that to get me to agree to your plan.”

“Cass, I know we’re young and all… but you and I have been through an awful fuckin’ lot together. I’ve officially seen you at your best and your worst, and pretty much everything in between. I’ve seen you laugh and cry and kill monsters and go a week without any kind of a bath. I’ve seen you triumph and I’ve seen you fail. I’ve seen you be selfish and I’ve seen you literally give up your life to save Charlie Bradbury when you volunteered for her. I’ve saved your life and you’ve saved mine. I don’t know a whole lot of things, but I know enough to know that if it’s ever possible… you’re the one I wanna be with. It’s as simple as that, and I don’t give a flying fuck what my dad - or anyone else for that matter - thinks about it. Let him hit me, I guarantee at this point I’ve hunted more monsters than he has… I’m not the same kid he used to throw around anymore.” 

Castiel slid his hand up under Dean’s shirt and placed it over his heart, interlocking their fingers with his other hand. He stayed quiet and then spoke with more confidence than Dean’s ever heard him speak with before. “Then I have to get you out of here, there’s no choice. I’ll do whatever it takes to get you out of here, Dean. I’m afraid to live without you so I’ll do whatever I have to do. Just- just don’t give up on me, okay?”

Dean squeezed the hand Cass was holding. “Never, angel. I told you… you go through that portal, and I keep fighting every single day here until you come back for me. I know you can do this, but honestly? Even if you can’t… just knowing that you made it out is gonna be enough for me.” 

Castiel shook his head. “It’s not going to be enough for me. I don’t care what you think, it’s no going to be enough for me.”

“Cass,  _ if  _ that ends up being the case, I need you to take care of Sam. I know I’m asking an awful friggen lot of you, and I keep doing it - I keep asking you for more, but… Sam’s gonna be pretty much alone now. He’s got Sirius and Finnick and Alyssa, but eventually he’s gonna need me and if I don’t get outta here, I won’t be there. I need you to be there for me.” Dean rubbed his thumb over the back of Cass’s hand and slid his leg between Cass’s. 

Castiel squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m going to be alone too, Dean, but I’ll do my best. With all of this, I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will, angel. You always do.” Dean squeezed him gently then closed his eyes, falling asleep after what seemed like an eternity of silence. 

**_Hogwarts: Sirius_ **

Sirius practically had to drag Sam to the Great Hall for the unexpected update on the Mudblood Games. Sam had managed to convince himself that Dean was dead, and it took Sirius and James both to get him out of the common room and headed down the staircase towards the Great Hall. 

Sirius shoved Sam into his seat, towards the back of the room this time so they could easily make their escape if Dean was indeed dead. The room was exploding in whispers and not-so-hushed conversations, some people even taking bets as to which one of the remaining tributes had died. Sirius felt his anger rise when he realized those bets were being placed at the Slytherin table, but Alecto Carrow intervened before Sirius could even get out of his chair. He was momentarily shocked by Alecto jinxing the kid taking the bets, but Sirius supposed it was probably just out of guilt because the two that remained in Purgatory were the ones that saved his life. 

Headmaster Shurley, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Cinna stepped forward and called for attention. The second that Sirius saw the tears in Professor Cinna’s eyes, he knew that Dean was alive. Cinna didn’t dislike Dean, but everyone knew he had a soft spot for Castiel. Sure enough, his suspicions were shortly confirmed. 

“It is with profound sorrow that I have to announce the deaths of three tributes. Castiel Novak, who would now be a Hufflepuff seventh year, has died. He was sent to Purgatory in last year’s Games, of which we still do not have a victor. Dean Winchester remains the only tribute alive from the thirteenth Games, but if he’s found the portal, he has not come through it.” Headmaster Shurley fell silent, bowing his head. Around him, various students either bowed their heads or lit their wands in remembrance of Castiel. 

Sirius felt an immense sadness wash over him at the sight, because it reminded him that this was final. There would be no escape for Cass, for his friend. After everything that Castiel had done to get the rest of them out, he died in that godforsaken place with only  _ Dean  _ for company. Sirius frowned at the thought. Sam, on the other hand, was nearly hyperventilating with relief. Sirius smacked him to get him to calm down. 

Shurley lifted his head and pressed on. “Krissy Chambers and Jesse Turner have become the first two victims of this year’s Games. And yes, I’m officially calling them what they are -  _ victims  _ of Voldemort. I would like to have a brief moment of silence for all of them, and Professor Cinna has kindly offered to oversee a sort of support group for anyone upset by the Games.” Shurley looked around at several people pointedly before his eyes landed on Sirius. Sirius shifted in his seat, thinking he was in some sort of trouble and then it occurred to him that Shurley didn’t look angry at all - on the contrary, he looked almost conspiratorial. Sirius nodded once to the headmaster, and decided maybe he would check out this ‘support group.’ 

When the moment of silence was over, Sam stood up next to him and left the Great Hall. No one made a move to stop him, but Sirius noticed the two Death Eaters that always joined in on these announcements stiffened considerably when he left. 

“I would like to point out,” Cinna started, clearing his throat. “I would like to point out that Castiel Novak is a hero. He risked, and ultimately gave his life to save the lives of others. Nine tributes escaped thanks to the actions of Castiel and Dean Winchester. Nine children had the opportunity to go back to their homes, their friends, and their families. Such a thing was entirely unprecedented. In all of the years that this had been going on, not one tribute escaped unless they were the one that found the portal out. I want you all to remember that that changed here, thanks in part to Castiel. So remember what he fought for, and the price he paid for others to have freedom.” His eyes fell on Charlie Bradbury. “Remember Castiel Novak.” Cinna turned around and walked out of the side entrance to the Great Hall, and Sirius wiped a tear from his eye because every last thing Cinna had said was true. He, himself, wouldn’t be sitting where he was if it wasn’t for Castiel. Dean could have never pulled it off alone, and the rest of them hadn’t exactly assisted in the ways Cass had. 

Professor McGonagall looked around the room, a sadness in her eyes that Sirius rarely saw. “Let us hope that the next time we gather here, it is to say that Dean Winchester has come home, or perhaps one of the tributes from this year’s Games. You are all dismissed.” 

Sirius and James stood, getting ahead of the crowd of students and beginning their search for Sam. 

When they found him, he was sitting on the bench outside the Gryffindor common room. He had his head in his hands and was rocking back and forth slightly.

Sirius nodded to James and then sat down next to Sam, nudging him with his shoulder. “Your brother might actually make it out now, y’know.” 

Sam nodded and pulled his hands away from his head. “I- I know. Holy shit I- I know. He’s gonna come home. He has to come home.”

Sirius smiled sadly. “I give it a week before he finds the portal and is back bossing us all around again.”

Sam swallowed hard. “How do you think Cass died?”

“I can tell you it wasn’t Dean. There’s no way.” Sirius shook his head. “Who knows what else they had to deal with in there.” 

Sam nodded quickly and leaned back against the bench, his hands shaking a little bit. “I don’t even know what to do right now.”

“Now, we wait. And we prepare for the absolutely insane bullshit Dean’s gonna drag us into when he gets out of Purgatory. You can bet he’s not gonna be happy, especially once he finds out about Finnick. I have a feeling this is far from over.” Sirius sighed, but ultimately was ready for whatever war was about to come their way. 

“I don’t know if Dean’s gonna function when he gets back here. Castiel, Rue, and Finnick? He’s going to be angry no doubt but-” Sam sighed, but nodded to Sirius. “I think you’re right about this being far from over.”

Sirius patted Sam on the shoulder and then stood, making his way back into the common room.


	28. Fare Thee Well

**_Purgatory: Dean_ **

Dean opened his eyes slowly, not wanting to believe it was morning already. He didn’t move other than to kiss the top of Castiel’s head and trail his fingers lightly over his skin. _This is it, Dean. This is the day he goes through the portal._ He let out a breath and looked around, seeing that the sun - or whatever muted version of it existed here - was just coming up over the treeline. He knew that he should get up and finish off the polyjuice potion, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. Once he moved, he’d be starting the chain of events that would lead to Cass walking through the portal, and Dean knew that once he did, he’d likely never see him again. His stomach twisted at the thought. It’s not that Dean didn’t think Cass could pull it off - it’s that he knew how hard it was to survive in Purgatory even when you had someone watching your back. If it took him too long to find his way back to Bobby’s base camp, he would probably die. 

He felt Cass stir and he gritted his teeth, knowing if he didn’t put this plan into motion now, he never would. He sat up slowly, trying to lay Cass down without disturbing him. He stood up and walked over to the cauldron that had been brewing the potion and he plucked a few hairs from his head and tossed them in, then poured the contents into Cass’s canteen. 

Castiel shivered and squeezed his eyes shut, speaking very quietly. “I suppose I should get used to sleeping alone again.”

Dean flinched slightly when he heard Cass, but nodded. “Yeah, me too. This place is gonna suck without you.” 

Castiel swallowed hard and sat up slowly, watching Dean. “Is it done?”

“Yeah, it’s ready. I made enough for a few doses, which should be more than enough to get you to the Black’s. I wrote the letter on the back of your star chart cuz it’s the only damn paper we’ve got. By now, everyone back home thinks your dead, so it shouldn’t cause anyone to think twice when ‘I’ walk through the portal.” Dean handed Cass the canteen and sat down in front of him. 

Castiel took the canteen and stared at it, closing his eyes after a moment. “I wished last night that the potion wouldn’t work. That something would go wrong and I wouldn’t have to leave.”

“Cass, you’d still need to go - it woulda just been way friggen harder for you if the potion failed somehow. You endin’ up with the Blacks is the best possible outcome here. You go through the portal, you find Walburga, you get back to their house as quickly as possible - use whatever excuse you have to, you need a shower, you need sleep - need to shit - I don’t care, just get back to the Blacks’ house as quick as you can. Once you’re there, give her the letter on your star chart and hopefully I made everything clear enough that she won’t question when ‘Dean’ suddenly turns into ‘Cass’ right in front of her face. From there… you convince her to get you back to Hogwarts, where you hide from fuckin’ _everyone_ but Team Free Will, you got that?” 

Castiel still had his eyes closed and now had his jaw clenched but he nodded. “Yes.”

“We’ve had a month, Cass. A month where we didn’t have to walk constantly or fight constantly or do anything but be here and watch this damn potion brew. It’s high time you got out of here and got a decent meal and a shower.” Dean’s heart was threatening to break in half, but he forced his voice to remain steady. “Now kiss me and go home.” 

Castiel opened his eyes and scanned Dean’s face as if he was trying to memorize everything about it. He tried to speak but no words came out so he leaned forward and kissed Dean, his hands holding onto Dean’s shirt.

Dean broke the kiss after a while and rested his forehead against Cass’s, trying to stop himself from shaking. “Hey, you never know. Maybe the portal will just stay open and I can come home right now, right behind you.” 

Castiel wasn’t able to contain his tears as he shook his head. His voice cracked as he spoke, “you know that’s not how it works, Dean. You know that this -- this could be the last time I ever see you.”

_Yeah, it probably is._ “Don’t say that, Cass. I’m gonna be alive when you come back for me, okay? Once you get to Hogwarts, you figure out a way to get me out and come back for me. Look, I’ve already got my Gryffindor shirt on again, ready to be _accio’d.”_ Dean attempted a smile, but it was everything he could do to stop himself from losing it. 

Castiel leaned into Dean again and wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in Dean’s neck. “I don’t want to go, Dean. I -- I know I have to but I really don’t want to go without you.”

It was getting harder by the minute to control the tremors in his arms as he held Cass. “Cass, please don’t make this harder than it has to be, okay? I’m barely holdin’ on here as it is.” He pulled back and looked down. “Please don’t make me push you through it.” 

“Okay, Dean.” He sniffled and wiped his eyes, standing up. 

He handed Castiel the canteen again and the rolled up star chart. “You need to take it before you walk through the portal, we got no idea what’s waiting for you on the other side.” He kissed Cass one last time, his hands on his face. 

After the kiss Castiel eyed Dean, his voice cracking as he spoke again. “I love you, Dean. Never forget that, okay?”

“I love you, Cass. Now go, be me and go home. Take care of Sammy for me until I get back to do it myself.” Dean took a step back, afraid that if he stood too close the portal wouldn’t let Cass through. 

Castiel reached into his jacket and handed Dean the Luck potion he created at the sponsorship session. He sniffled and smiled as much as he could, probably in attempts to reassure Dean. “Can you, can you turn around? I don’t think I want you to see me go through it.”

“I won’t be watchin’ you go through, I’ll be watchin’ _me_ go through. Now take the potion.” He pocketed the liquid luck and crossed his arms, hugging himself. 

Castiel unscrewed the canteen and didn’t move for a long moment, before he brought it to his lips and took a long sip. 

Dean watched as Castiel disappeared and a carbon copy of himself took his place. “Remember to talk like I do, at least until you’re safe. Now go, go home. Get out of this fuckin’ place. I’ll see you soon.” 

Cass swallowed hard and nodded, walking towards the portal. “I’ll see you soon.” He turned back to look at Dean once more and then stepped through.

Dean’s hopes momentarily skyrocketed as the portal stayed intact when Cass vanished. He walked quickly towards it, his heart hammering, but it shrank and disappeared before he could get there. He spun around wildly for a moment, almost expecting to see it pop up somewhere else. But it was gone, and it had taken Cass with it. 

**_The Blacks’: Castiel_ **

Castiel’s feet hit solid ground but he had never felt more unbalanced in his life. Every instinct had been screaming at him not to leave Dean, but he knew he didn’t have a choice. The only way to get him back now was to follow the plan as best as he could. He turned to face the portal just as it disappeared, along with any hope Castiel might have had that Dean really could just follow him out. 

He was surrounded by Death Eaters in seconds. Among them were Seneca Crane and Caesar Flickerman, the latter of which rolled his eyes heavily at the sight of Cass. “Dean Winchester. So, you finally made it out of Purgatory. It only took you… what, a year and a half?” 

Cass paused. “A year and a -- what? No, I was only - we were only in there for eight months.” 

Flickerman clicked his tongue. “Eight months in Purgatory, perhaps. It’s been… oh, lets see… almost exactly sixteen months here. Time moves twice as slow where you came from. I must say… I’m a little surprised you killed Castiel, although… after that little display in the training center, I’m not _that_ surprised. You’ve got the heart of a killer, don’t you?” 

Cass knew this conversation was wasting precious time, and Flickerman was ultimately talking to the wrong person anyway. “Yeah, guess I do.” He focused on what Dean would say, how he would word things… the expressions he would make. “Can I go now? I really need a fuckin’ shower.” 

Flickerman narrowed his eyes. “Someone will need to alert the Black family that their sponsored tribute has emerged victorious at last. You can go when one of them comes to fetch you. Until then, make yourself at home.” 

Cass looked around him and found himself back in the same house they’d been put in after the Choosing. He rolled his eyes; he had really thought he’d seen the last of this place. “You can go now, Flickerman. I’m good here.” 

Crane _tsk’d._ “Now now, Dean. Wouldn’t want to end up like your friend Finnick, now would you?” 

Castiel turned slowly, his eyes narrowing. “What do you mean, Finnick’s fine.” 

Flickerman laughed. “If you count ‘dead’ as ‘fine,’ then yes - Finnick Odair is absolutely splendid right about now. I know this… because I had the ultimate pleasure of killing him myself.”

“You’re lying!” Cass’s stomach dropped. _There’s no way. There’s no way he killed a student, he has to be lying._

“I’d let you see for yourself, but there wasn’t much of a body left.” Crane disappeared to go tell the Blacks that ‘Dean’ had won, and Castiel tried to walk away from Caesar Flickerman, but Dean’s body was harder to maneuver than his own. _What’s going on with my le--_ Cass looked down and noticed fully for the first time just how bowlegged Dean really was. That bowleggedness was already starting to fade, however, and Cass realized the potion must be wearing off a lot sooner than Dean said it would. He quickly ducked around the corner, out of eyesight of Flickerman and the others. He took another quick drink, shaking his head slightly as it washed over him again. 

He recovered just in time for Flickerman to round the corner. “Mrs. Black is here, you may go.”

Cass walked back out to the meeting room, where Walburga Black was indeed waiting for him. She smiled when she saw him. “Dean! Sirius is going to be _thrilled_ that you made it out. I’m so sorry about Castiel, though. He was one of the good ones. Now come along, I’m sure you’re quite anxious to get back to your life, or at least… as much as you can.” She smiled warmly to him, and for the first time since Dean explained the plan, Castiel was grateful for it. He could be getting shipped off to Voldemort’s mansion right now, but instead he was being greeted by the first happy face he’s seen in nearly a year. He could understand why Dean wanted him to go with her. 

He walked over to her, but was stopped short by Severus Snape. “Now, now… what’s the rush? It is customary for the victor of the Mudblood Games to meet with the Dark Lord, as it is _his_ world you will be joining now. You should be thrilled at the chance to meet him.” 

Castiel hid his panic. He knew enough about Voldemort to know that his polyjuice disguise wouldn’t hold up against him. “I actually already met him. We had a nice little chat during one of the training sessions. Besides, I’m disgusting from being in Purgatory, and I don’t think he’d appreciate me tracking…” Cass paused and swallowed hard. “I don’t think he’d be happy about me trackin’ in monster blood.” 

Snape glared at him and opened his mouth to say something else, but Mrs. Black cut him off. “This young man has been through quite enough without that. Leave him be, he’ll come properly get acquainted once he’s had a chance to bathe, eat, and rest.” She said it so matter-of-factly that no one questioned her, and Cass could have kissed her on the spot. He was in need of all of those things and more, but his most pressing concern was how quickly the polyjuice potion doses were wearing off. 

Snape shifted his eyes between Cass and Mrs. Black, his face in a scowl before nodding. “Very well. We’ll send for you in the morning, Dean. Be ready.”

Cass nodded and Mrs. Black ushered him out of the house, then latched onto his arm and told him to brace himself before Disapparating them both to her house.

“Ahh yes, here we are. I’ll send word to Sirius at once that you’ve made it out, unless you prefer he hears it at the school update?” Walburga looked at Castiel briefly before opening the door and gesturing for him to go inside. 

Castiel nodded to her and stepped inside the house, looking around. “Uh… you can - you can tell him. Could he maybe come back here? Is that even possible?”

She shook her head, smiling sadly. “Not until summer. The Christmas holiday is over already and they won’t be permitted to leave again until end of term. The ban on Owl Post was lifted this year though, so I might be able to get a letter to him before the official announcement is made. He’ll be so happy to hear you’re safe, Dean!” She smiled more genuinely now, clapping her hands together. “I was so afraid for you… I’d never thought much of you, to be honest, you were always getting my Sirius in trouble, you know. But then you and that other boy managed to save Sirius from… well, you know exactly what you saved him from now, don’t you?” She walked towards him and hugged him, wrapping her arms fully around him. “Thank you for bringing him home. I’m sorry I couldn’t send more than the gun, but did you get my note?” 

Castiel nodded and hesitantly hugged her back. “I did, but Mrs. Black I- I need-” he pulled back from her and handed her the star chart from inside his jacket. “I need you to read this and not freak out, okay? I need your help.”

She frowned at him but took the scroll and unrolled it, her eyes flicking back and forth across the page as she read: 

Mrs. Black reread the words and looked up at Castiel with a startled expression. “Is this true?” 

Cass nodded slowly, swallowing hard. “Yes, it’s true. I’m not Dean, I’m Castiel Novak, Hufflepuff seventh year. Well, technically I should’ve graduated by now but…”

She took a moment to compose herself and then straightened her back. “Well then, Castiel. Everything I said to you up until this point remains true, as you are also responsible for saving my son. I will help you however I can. Do you have more Polyjuice Potion?” 

Castiel nods and pulls out the canteen. “Thank you, Mrs. Black. Thank you so much.”

She eyed the canteen and then huffed. “Right, well… you know Sirius was only Chosen in the first place because we’re considered “blood traitors,” yes? There was a reason for that. My husband and I spoke out against these Games on more than one occasion. It isn’t right. We’re one of the oldest pureblood families still around, though, so that bought us a little more leeway than some of the others. We were permitted to keep our sponsor abilities, but they tried to steal our son in retaliation. I will assist you in whatever way I can, you need only ask. Are you hungry?”

Castiel felt his stomach rumble and he knew he was starving, but he needed to get to Dean as fast as he could. “Could I take it to go? I’ve got to get back to Hogwarts.”

Mrs. Black furrowed her brows and stayed silent for a long moment. “Yes, yes of course. You won’t be able to reach me at this address any longer, however. We will have to go into hiding, and your window of opportunity will be quite small. When they show up in the morning to take you to Voldemort and you’re not here… it would be disastrous if any member of my family were still in this house. I will get you to Hogwarts, but if you choose this path… I’m afraid my ability to assist you will end there.” 

Castiel was beyond grateful for Mrs. Black’s help, but really all he needed was a ride to Hogwarts. He just needed to get to Hogwarts. “I don’t have much of a choice, Mrs. Black. I’m so sorry I’m putting you in danger but… but if I can pull this off, I’ll be able to rescue Dean and so many other people. There’s still so many people alive in Purgatory, they’ve been alive this entire time with no escape. Bobby Singer? He’s alive.”

Her eyes widened for a moment. “Let me guess. The shapeshifters?” 

He nodded and watched her. “Precisely.”

She smiled small. “And that bastard Voldemort thought muggleborns weren’t clever. The jokes on him, I suppose, and it’s about damn time. Give me five minutes to whip you up something decent to eat. There’s a bathroom just up the stairs and to the left if you wish to shower. I also suggest changing into some of Sirius’s old school robes - they’re in his bedroom which is two doors down from the bathroom. That might allow you easier access to the Gryffindor common room. Dean seems pretty adamant that you find his brother, Sam.” 

“I know he does. I’m going to do my best -- failure isn’t an option at this point.” He nodded once to her and then turned, heading up the stairs.

He showered quickly, not taking the time to enjoy the water because he had work to do. He made his way to Sirius’ room as instructed and quickly pulled on some of his old robes. He was thankful that Sirius was taller than him - the robes that Sirius had outgrown were baggy on Cass but would fit almost perfectly once he’d taken more polyjuice potion and rose slightly to Dean’s height. He walked down the stairs, tucking the canteen into his pocket. He looked fully like himself at the moment and Mrs. Black did a double-take when she saw him. 

“You look better, Castiel. Are you ready to go?” Mrs. Black handed him a burrito, and he looked at it curiously. “It’s leftovers from last evening. Shredded steak and potatoes. I’m sure you can get something better once you’re back at the school, and here…” she pulled picked up a glass of water and handed it to him. “Drink and eat quickly, and we’ll be on our way. I’ve already alerted Professor Cinna that you’re coming - his Patronus returned just moments ago with a message that he’d be waiting for you on top of the Astronomy Tower. He knows it’s really you, but also knows to expect you to look like Dean. I didn’t have time to go over all of the details, so expect to answer some questions when you get there.” 

Cass’s chest swelled. _I’m going to see Professor Cinna again. I can thank him in person for the hint that got me out._ He nodded, quickly eating the burrito and making a grateful noise as he ate. He drained the water and then wiped his hands on his robe. “Can we - can we leave now, please? I need to get to Sam.” 

Mrs. Black nodded. “I’m going to Apparate you to just outside of the grounds, where you can take Sirius’s broom up to the Astronomy Tower. It’s just in the shed out back, we’ll grab it and head out immediately. Take your potion now, before we leave the house.” 

Castiel drank the potion and shivered as his body morphed into Dean’s. He moved to open the door, and when it swung wide, he found himself face to face with Severus Snape. “Going somewhere?”

**_Hogwarts: Sam_ **

Once again, Sam found himself seated in the Great Hall next to Sirius, about to jump out of his skin. All Professor Mills had told them was that they were finally making the final announcement from last year’s Mudblood Games, but she didn’t know if it was a death or a victory. Either way, this was it. Either his brother made it out of Purgatory and this was over - or he was dead, and this was over. No more announcements, no more wondering. No more sleepless nights contemplating what kind of Hell Dean was dealing with. He was going to get closure. 

Sirius, to his credit, had been sticking to Sam like glue since this began a year and a half ago. Sam wasn’t sure if it was because he was worried about Sam, sad himself, or a mixture of both. No matter which one it was, Sam was grateful. He was grateful to have someone that cared about Dean nearly as much as he did, that understood exactly what Sam lost the day Dean volunteered for him. 

Sam was surprised to see Cato Chester, Newt Scamander, and Beetee Latier sitting at the front of the Hufflepuff table. They’d all graduated last year, but Sam supposed they were invited as a courtesy to hear how their Games ended. This wasn’t typical, in every year prior there were no survivors _to_ invite. He caught Cato’s gaze, and after he rolled his eyes briefly, he nudged the other two and they made their way over to sit across from Sam, Sirius and James. 

“What’s up assholes?” Cato swung into his seat and smirked. “You think Winchester pulled it off or what?” 

Sirius scoffed. “I bet he did, Chester. See, Winchester’s kind of like you, but he actually _wins._ It’s all there in the name.” 

Cato laughed sarcastically. “Oh good one, Sirius, it take you all damn year to come up with that one?” 

Sam smacked Sirius before he could reply, because Headmaster Shurley, Professor Mills and Professor McGonagall were standing at the front of the room now, and every single one of them looked _happy._ “Sirius, shut the hell up, man, look at them! They’re smiling - they’re freaking smiling, he - Dean won, I think Dean’s okay!” 

His heart was beating rapidly as every single person in the Great Hall fell silent. Headmaster Shurley was beaming as he looked around the room. “Hello, hello! We finally have some good news to share with all of you regarding the Thirteenth Annual Mudblood Games. Last night at approximately 7:34 PM, Dean Winchester stepped through the portal.” 

Sam had forgotten what it felt like to be happy, but in that moment… when he heard the news that his brother was _alive,_ he got to his feet, screaming and cheering and shouting and crying. Every single other student at Hogwarts, even the Slytherins, were on their feet as well, adding to his elation. 

Shurley paused to let the students control themselves, but he was laughing and smiling right along with them. Professor Mills was crying in relief next to him, and even the usually stoic Professor McGonagall was applauding. 

It took an almost unreasonably long time for Sam and the others to quiet down and return to their seats. He was elated, and so proud of his brother for not only staying alive long enough to get out, but also having the wherewithal to actually find the portal after losing Cass. He knew Dean would be a mess when he came back, especially once he found out about Finnick, but it didn’t matter. Dean didn’t die. Dean’s life didn’t end in Purgatory, despite everything that Flickerman and Crane and Voldemort threw at him. His brother made it through it all. 

Next to him, Sirius looked happier than Sam had ever seen him, and he was hugging James tightly as Sam looked over. Even Cato looked pleased with the announcement, and Sam was reminded yet again that Cato and Dean shared a connection whether they liked it or not. They were all on the same side tonight. Not Gryffindors and Slytherins, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. They were simply a bunch of kids beyond relieved that this nightmare was finally over. 

“He was taken to the House of Black, where he will start his life anew. Now, Walburga and Orion Black are good, decent people, and I’m sure they will allow Dean to write and visit and do all of the things that you are all thinking about right now. Just give him some time to settle in - try not to overwhelm the Black family with owls.” Professor Shurley smiled around at all of them. “Now go on - go celebrate. Hug your friends and make some new ones. All lessons will be canceled for tomorrow, and there is no curfew tonight. You may move freely about the castle, we know you’ll be in each other’s common rooms until the early morning hours anyway. I simply ask that you do not overwhelm the House Elves with requests for Firewhiskey.” He winked knowingly, and laughter erupted around the Great Hall. 

Sam couldn’t stop smiling as they were dismissed, and he met with the other members of Team Free Will in the Entrance Hall. 

“Room of Requirement is a great place for a party, I’m just sayin’.” Cato held his hands up in front of him, and James clapped him on the shoulder. 

“Now we’re talking!” James laughed as he sprinted up the stairs two at a time, and Sam raced after him. 

A few minutes later, Team Free Will was opening bottles of Firewhiskey and passing around butterbeer in the Room of Requirement. Sam’s cheeks were starting to hurt from the grin that just wouldn’t fade as he looked around at his friends, and the people his brother and Castiel had saved. Sirius Black, Cato Chester, Beetee Latier, Luna Lovegood, Ash Harvelle, Alecto Carrow, Jack Morningstar, and Newt Scamander. These were the people that would be a living testament to everything his brother had accomplished, and everything that Castiel Novak had sacrificed. Lisa Braeden, Charlie Bradbury, Jo Harvelle, Johanna Mason, James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and his girlfriend Alyssa Blake were there too, each and every one of them smiling as widely as Sam was. 

The room had magically expanded to accommodate them all, and Sam’s heart was swelling as he looked around to all of the people that cared about his brother. Cato and James were standing by the jukebox and arguing over what to play. James was trying to insist on a band Sam had never even heard of, but Cato smacked him. “Do you even _know_ Dean? I spent like a damn _week_ with the guy and even I know he would take silence over Maroon fucking 5. Put on some Zepp or some Metallica or step aside.” 

“Do you remember that time Dean and Cass nearly blew up the Potions classroom two years ago cuz they couldn’t quit bickering over who was going to add ingredients and who was going to stir? That was one _hell_ of an explosion. Crowley was so pissed!” Newt was rolling his eyes at Sirius’s story, but Peter was laughing hysterically. “Cass kept yelling something about Dean being an “enthusiastic stirrer,” which I thought was a euphemism, but those assholes hadn’t even admitted they had the hots for each other yet. I guess it was some kind of an inside joke, because Dean started laughing so hard he dumped too many ashwinder eggs into it and the whole cauldron burst into flames.” Sirius shook his head, beaming. “I barely got out, and one of the Hufflepuffs that sat in front of them had to be treated for third degree burns by Madame Harvelle.” 

Lisa was bragging to Jo and Johanna about the time she spent dating Dean, and it was Sam’s turn to roll his eyes. He couldn’t help but grin as she recounted the story like they had been star-crossed lovers, when Sam knew that they had merely been kids having a good time. Cass had been the one Dean actually loved, but he didn’t have it in him to correct her. 

He grabbed his glass of firewhiskey and cleared his throat, trying to get everyone’s attention. “Hey! Hey, guys - alright, alright, quiet down for a minute. I just wanted to umm… take a moment to thank all of you. You guys have been great during all of this, and I… I don’t know how I would have made it through without you all.” He raised his glass and looked at each of them in turn. “But we can’t forget that Dean wasn’t the only one that was affected by this. Rue Marsh, Finnick Odair, and Cass Novak all died because of Voldemort. Each of their sacrifices led to Dean coming home, sure, but the war is just beginning. So here’s to Rue - for always being a ray of sunshine in the dark. To Finnick… for being our voice when we had none. And to Cass - for being our faith when all hope was lost.” He held his glass out, and one by one the others raised theirs as well and then drank deeply. Sam swallowed down the firewhiskey and looked at the ground, sucking his teeth. He looked back up and smiled sadly. “And here’s to Dean, the crazy son of a bitch that beat the system. Here’s... to Dean coming home.” 

**_Purgatory: Dean_ **

Dean walked aimlessly for what felt like hours. It was the middle of the day, he knew that much at least, and Cass had left early that morning. He spent the first part of the day staring blankly a the spot where the portal had disappeared, half thinking that it was going to spring back into existence and offer him a way out, too. But it didn’t, and eventually Dean had realized that there was no longer a reason to stay out in the open like that. He’d packed up what he had left and started walking, but it occurred to him that navigation was going to be a lot more difficult now without Cass or his star chart. 

He finally decided to go back to the basics, and used the Four-Point spell to guide him north. He thought that if he was able to find their first real camp again, he might be able to navigate back to Base without having to backtrack too many times. He was getting more of a workout now; without someone to help carry their things, most of it just felt like a burden to him. It didn’t help that now that he was on his own, he looked like an easier target so the monsters were attacking more frequently. 

It got to the point where Dean dumped half his remaining belongings just to lighten the load, and had taken to keeping the shield up around him at all times. Every single thought in his head was focused on Cass and where he was now. _Did it work? Did the Blacks take him? Did he shower, is he eating? That dumbass probably ain’t eatin’ cuz he’s worried about me._ He was brought out of his thoughts by a twig snapping to his right. 

His head jerked in that direction, expecting to see a monster. But it was a girl, and not just any girl - it was Primrose Everdeen, the girl he’d saved in Dark Arts class his fifth year. “Prim? Wh- I don’t understand, what the hell are you doin’ here?” 

Prim blinked a couple of times and then made her way over to him, and he dropped his shield. “Dean? I thought for sure you would have found your way out by now.”

He frowned. “What do you mean, by now? It’s only been a few months and this place is friggen huge.” 

Prim raised her eyebrows. “Dean, it’s been like a year and a half for you. I’ve been here for… I’m working on month three I think, which is probably more like six out there, so…” 

With a jolt, he realized that if that was true, he was damn close to missing his graduation, and Cass would have already missed his and then some. “Oh. Where’s the rest of your group?” 

“I don’t know, Dean. We got split up when we got here, and I haven’t found anyone else yet. You’re the first human I’ve seen.” Prim hugged herself and Dean couldn’t help but notice how much she reminded him of Rue. 

“Hey, you’re gonna be okay. Listen, we’re not alone out here, okay? You remember hearing about Bobby Singer, right? He’s alive, he’s here, he’s kickin’ ass… _and_ he’s made himself a Base camp for all of the tributes we thought were dead that are actually pretty damn alive.” He went on to explain the shapeshifters to her as they walked, and answered her questions about Purgatory the best that he could.

They’d been walking in silence for awhile when Prim looked over at him. “Hey, Dean…”

“Yeah?” 

“Finnick’s dead. Finnick Odair? You guys were friends, right?” Prim kept her head tilted forward towards the ground but her eyes were on Dean. 

He stopped walking immediately. “That’s impossible.” 

Prim circled around in front of him and brought her eyes up to meet his. “It’s not, it’s not impossible at all. Caesar Flickerman murdered him and got away with it.” 

Dean nearly fell to his knees. He didn’t believe what he was hearing. He _couldn’t_ believe it. After everything Finnick had survived, had fought through? No, this couldn’t be true. But he could hear in Prim’s voice that it was. He knew, by all accounts, that technically all twelve of them should be dead and that he should be thankful that ten had survived, but Finnick? Dean was heartbroken all over again, and not just for his own loss, but for Sam’s and Cass’s and poor Annie Cresta’s. 

“Here.” Once again, Prim interrupted Dean’s thoughts. He looked up at her, but his eyes were unfocused and his attention was somewhere very far away. “I have something for you, actually.” She pulled out a small, folded piece of parchment and handed it to Dean. “It’s from your brother. He had Sirius Black slip it to me when I was Chosen.” 

That got his attention. _A note from Sam?_ He took it from her and quickly unfolded it, his eyes hungrily devouring the words.

Dean was actively trying not to sob with relief by the time he finished reading. His voice was thick as he spoke. “Thanks, Prim. This… this means a lot to me.” She smiled sadly at him as he pocketed the note. “Seriously, you have no damn idea how bad I needed that right now.” 

“No problem, Dean. You saved my life once. The least I could do was deliver a message.” Prim started walking again, and Dean confirmed with the Four-Point spell that they were still headed in the right direction, and followed her. 

They reached Dean, Cass and Rue’s first camp and Dean decided to call it a night. “Bobby’s camp is a few hours from here, we should get some rest.” 

Prim nodded. “You’re sure it’s okay if I stay with you?” 

Dean checked the cave quickly and then pointed to the bag. “I’m not lettin’ you leave on your own, so yeah. There’s blankets in there, will you grab ‘em? I’m gonna get a fire goin’ and see about catching our dinner” 

Prim set up their makeshift beds and Dean went out to check his old snares. A couple of them had caught rabbits that were now too badly decomposed to eat, but the fourth trap he checked had a squirrel in it that was still alive. He quickly culled the squirrel and took it back to the camp, dressing it outside before taking the meat in to cook over the fire. 

“Where’s Castiel?” Prim’s voice was soft, almost as if she’d been afraid to ask the question. 

“He got out. We found the portal and he got out.” Dean had been expecting the question, and was honestly a little relieved she finally just asked it.

“Wait a minute, you know where the po-” He held up a hand to silence her words. “No, I don’t know where the portal is. Not yours, anyway. Our portal disappeared the second Castiel stepped through it.”

Her face fell and her shoulders slumped. “I guess I should have seen that coming. I’m glad though… for Castiel. That he got out. He was always nice to me.” 

“He was always nice to everyone, except the Death Eaters. And Cato, he was kinda mean to Cato… but to be fair, Cato deserved it.” Dean smiled to himself as he remembered some of Cass’s finer moments, but he felt a pang of sadness when he realized that now, he was left with just the memories. The loneliness was a thing he could taste and feel, despite Prim before with him. It had been less than a full day so far, but Dean already knew that he was in for the worst days of his life. He missed his brother, he missed his friend… and now, he missed his guardian angel. 

**_The Blacks’: Castiel_ **

Castiel was escorted to Lord Voldemort’s mansion the next morning. It was pure luck that he was able to time the doses of polyjuice potion so that no one saw that he wasn’t actually Dean. He was officially running out, and he figured he had no more than two doses left, despite the large batch that Dean had brewed and sent with him. 

Severus Snape had caught him trying to leave the Black’s, but Walburga had played it off as though Castiel had simply wanted some fresh air, and Snape had no proof to the contrary. He did, however, stay outside the entrance to the Black’s home for the remainder of the evening, and Castiel was forced to sleep in Sirius’s bedroom and wait it out. He hadn’t slept much. He was panicking because Voldemort had already met Dean once, and Cass knew only what Dean had told him about their conversation. If he messed something up and Voldemort found out he wasn’t actually Dean, he wouldn’t be allowed to return with Mrs. Black and therefore would never make it back to Hogwarts, let alone make it back to Dean. 

He had waited until the last possible moment to take his second-to-last dose of polyjuice potion, so he had appeared to Snape the next morning as Dean and taken straight to Voldemort’s home. He now walked through a long, dimly lit hallway towards a door at the end of it. 

Snape was sneering down at him as they walked. “Nervous, Winchester?” 

Castiel was terrified but he knew that wasn’t the answer Dean would give. He cleared his throat and shook his head. “Nah, I’ve been through this before.”

“Yes, and how well did that work out for you last time?” Snape smiled cruelly as they approached the door. “He wasn’t expecting any… _survivors_.” He opened the door and stood back, letting Castiel walk in alone. 

Castiel looked around, his heart pounding in his chest. He really didn’t have time for Voldemort’s bullshit, but this is the way the Games go and Cass knew he’d have to play along for just a little while longer. “Hello?”

Voldemort strode in from his left, taking a seat at the head of the long table in front of him. He was every bit as grotesque as Dean had described. “Welcome back, Dean. _Sit down.”_

_Please don’t feed me to your snake, please don’t feed me to your snake._ He straightened his robes and slowly moved to the seat Voldemort was gesturing to and sat down.

“You always were a boy of few words, weren’t you… now speak. Tell me, Dean, how did you come to find the portal?” Sure enough, the giant snake that Dean had warned him about was slithering across the floor towards Voldemort’s chair as he spoke. 

Castiel ignored the snake as best he could, keeping his gaze on Voldemort. His eyes drifted to just behind Voldemort where the portal was visible. It was a dark purple colour and it was making strange noises. “You don’t know anything about me. How’d I find the portal?” Castiel tilted his head, his jaw clenching slightly. “Because I didn’t give up. I took all the bullshit you and Flickerman and Crane threw at me but I kept going.”

Voldemort nodded almost approvingly. “Yes, you did. You bested my best - something that has been handled internally, I assure you… there won’t be any such mistakes moving forward. Now, Dean, tell me… what do you want to happen now?” 

Castiel narrowed his eyes at Voldemort, clicking his tongue. “You’re giving me the choice?”

The smile that played across Voldemort’s lips warned Castiel that this wasn’t a choice at all, but he was being tested. “You’re the victor, are you not? You survived when no others did. To the victor goes the spoils, Dean. Tell me what you want.” 

Castiel cleared his throat, keeping his eyes on Voldemort. “Do you want my honest answer, or do you want me to tell you what you wanna hear?”

“Come now, Dean, you’re smarter than that. I will know if you lie…” Voldemort reached down and ran his hand along the snake, who hissed in Castiel’s direction. “And you know what I do to those who dare to lie to my face.”

Castiel’s heart sped up even more because he _was_ lying straight to Voldemort’s face as they spoke, but clearly Voldemort couldn’t sense that. He shivered at the sight of the snake and shook his head. “The Games end with me, you evil bastard. You’re never taking innocent children away from here again, I can promise you that.”

Voldemort laughed. “But Dean, there is already a fresh set of tributes in Purgatory. Two more have died already, you’re too late. You will always be too late. But… you’ve got fire in you, I’ll give you that. You’re… special. So, I will give you a choice. Join me, and take the Dark Mark - fight for me when I call you… or die. Here, today. Right now. Nagini is hungry, after all.” The snake slithered across the floor and moved over Castiel’s feet. 

Castiel tensed and glares across the table at Voldemort. “That group of kids you took this year is the last, understand me? The ‘fire’ I have in me — I’m going to use it to burn you and everything you stand for to the ground.” He shifted his eyes to the snake. “I don’t know who’s uglier, you, or the snake.” He knew he only had one choice so he nodded slightly. “Give me the fucking mark and let me go.”

Voldemort’s eyes were narrowed and he stood swiftly. “I _will_ call you to fight for me, Dean. And you will obey me, or it will be you that watches everything you stand for burn to ashes in front of you.” He closed the distance between them and gripped Castiel’s forearm, turning it so his palm was facing up. “And for your defiance leading up to the Games, and your… attitude this morning, I will make sure to send your mother and father a _thank you gift.”_ He gripped Cass’s arm too tightly and pressed the pointer finger on his other hand to his skin. 

“ _Morsemordre.”_ Castiel’s skin ignited under Voldemort’s touch as he was branded, the skull-and-snake symbol searing into his arm. 

Castiel winced and clenched his jaw and pain fled through his arm, balling his hand into a fist at his side. 

“You are mine now, Dean, just as it should be. You should thank me for the honour. Without me, you would be nothing, your blood would have seen to that.” Voldemort admired the mark on Cass’s arm for a moment and then returned to his seat. “Leave, I have no use for you right now. Severus will see you out.” 

Castiel rolled his sleeve down immediately and stood up. “Can I ask you something?”

Voldemort looked at him with a curious expression. “Normally, the answer to that would be ‘no,’ but I must admit… I’m dying to know. I can’t seem to… sense it…” His eyes narrowed again, and it looked to Castiel like he was trying to do a nonverbal spell that clearly wasn’t working. 

Castiel couldn’t help the smirk that played across his face, watching Voldemort struggle. “Who turned you evil? Why do you enjoy making innocent kids fight for their lives? Voldemort, who hurt _you_?”

“You see things how you want to. You’ve been misled by those that would see what I’ve been building undone. I’m not evil, Dean, no. I’m simply aware that only the best can survive in this world, and I have taken it upon myself to weed out those who are too weak to make it.” The snake moved up Voldmort’s leg and wrapped itself around his body and the chair he was sitting on. “It is a mercy, really, dying in Purgatory instead of being forced to live out their inadequate lives. I am simply the means to an end - a solution to a long standing problem. My goal is simple. I’m creating a world where we no longer have to hide. We are far smarter, far better, far more powerful and cunning and deserving than any human, and yet we hide from them like a mouse hides from a cat.”

Castiel stood and moved to the door, his stomach in knots. “You don’t get to decide that. That’s not your call to make. You don’t determine the fate of other people’s lives. Who gave you the right?” He opened the door and let it slam closed behind him, looking at Severus Snape. “I want to leave.”

Snape raised a greasy eyebrow at Castiel. “You dare to walk out on the Dark Lord?” 

“He won’t kill me, he needs me. I said _I want to leave_. I do dare to walk out on the evil bastard, he won’t do anything to stop me.”

Snape roughly grabbed Castiel’s arm and dragged him out of Voldemort’s mansion before teleporting him back to the Black’s house, alone. 

Walburga was waiting for him, her eyes immediately darting to his hair. “It’s turning black, did they suspect anything?” 

Castiel shook his head, watching her. “No- no I don’t think so. Voldemort couldn’t even sense I wasn’t Dean.”

She studied him for a moment. “You must be naturally gifted at Occlumency, and thank goodness for that. We won’t be able to Apparate to the school, I have a feeling they’ll be watching you closely. I already put Sirius’s broom in the car, we’ll need to drive there. They won’t be able to trace any non-magical forms of transportation. Once we’re close, I’ll let you out and you can fly to the Astronomy Tower. I updated Professor Cinna, he’ll be waiting for you after the official announcement is made that Dean won. Are you ready?” 

Castiel licked his bottom lip but nodded, ignoring the sting on his arm. “I think so, yes. Thank you again, Mrs. Black. For everything.”

“You can thank me by making it safely to Hogwarts and doing what you need to do to get Dean out of Purgatory.” She opened the front door and looked outside, then gestured for him to follow her. “I think we’re clear, hurry up.” 

Castiel quickly moved out of the house, and ducked into the front seat of the car, the nerves finally settling in. Voldemort’s words were still playing through his head over and over again as he let out a slow shaky breath. _I wonder if Deans found the Base yet. I wonder if… I wonder if Dean is even alive._

Mrs. Black started the car, her eyes darting around for anyone that looked out of place. The drive took hours, and the sun had set almost fully by the time the castle came into view. His pulse quickened as he got out of the car and grabbed Sirius’s broom from the trunk. He hugged Mrs. Black and thanked her one more time before taking the last dose of Polyjuice Potion, mounting the broom and kicking off from the ground. He flew up to the top of the Astronomy Tower and landed quickly, his eyes searching for -- _there he is._ “Hello, Professor Cinna.” 

Cinna smiled widely and pulled him into a hug. “Castiel, it’s wonderful to see you.” 

Castiel hugged him back and nodded slowly. “You too, Professor Cinna. Thank you for helping us.”

Cinna pulled back but kept his hands on Cass’s shoulders. “I wish I could have done more, but you’ve got my full support in whatever you need moving forward.” 

Cass shook his head and smiled slightly. “You gave me precise directions to the portal, you’ve done more than I could’ve ever imagined. I’m annoyed with how long it took me to figure it out.”

Cinna chuckled. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it more clear, but we were under strict instructions not to give you _that_ kind of help. I’m glad you worked it out in the end. I have to say, Castiel. Sometimes I think the Sorting Hat put you in the wrong House. You’d have excelled in mine.” 

Castiel breathed out and nodded. “Yes, you and me both. But Professor Cinna — Dean is still in Purgatory. It’s not just him. There’s many students who are still alive, they’ve built a life for themselves there.”

“Walburga mentioned something about that in the message she sent me. And I want to hear all about it, but right now, you need to get inside the castle before that potion wears off. Do you know how to get to the Room of Requirement? I believe that’s where Sam and the others are right now.” 

Castiel nodded. “It’s on the seventh floor, right?”

“Yes.” Cinna went on to explain how to access the room, and then pulled the invisibility cloak out and handed it to him. “Use this.” 

He took the invisibility cloak and recognized it as the gift Finnick had been given during the sponsorship. Castiel shifted his eyes to Professor Cinna. “But- but this is Finnick’s. Does he know of the plan too?”

Cinna looked suddenly devastated. “I think you’d better just get to the Room of Requirement. I think you, Sam and the others have a lot to discuss.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened and he instantly knew something was wrong. He nodded to him and pulled the cloak on, before leaving the Astronomy Tower and making his way down all the stairs to the ground. He noticed a few Death Eaters outside castle as he quickly entered it.

Everything felt so familiar yet so foreign all at the same time. He took a moment to calm himself down before hurrying up to the seventh floor. Pacing outside the Room of Requirement, Castiel closes his eyes and imagined a place to party.

**_Hogwarts: Sam_ **

The door to the Room of Requirement appeared suddenly and Sam immediately shushed everyone, his eyes wide as he stared at the door. _No. No one knows we’re here. No one could have found us. Relax, it has to be-- Cinna maybe? Shurley?_

He walked slowly towards the door as it opened, and his brother Dean stepped through. He stood there in shock for a moment before dropping the glass he was holding and rushing over to him, hugging him tightly. “Jesus, Dean, you did it, man! Welcome back!” 

‘Dean’ hugged him back, shaking his head slightly. “Sam, Sam wait.”

Confused, Sam pulled back. “What is it? Look, I know you’ve had a… well, a rough run, but you’re back, right? Can you just let me be happy for two minutes?” 

‘Dean’ shook his head again, shifting his eyes around the room. “I’m- I’m not Dean, guys. It’s me, Castiel.”

Sam blinked for several long moments, and the excited greetings that had been heard around them quieted. “What? D-Dean, I can see you, you’re you, okay? I- I know losing Cass was hard, it had to be - but… Dean…” he trailed off. 

‘Dean’ closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “Listen, Sam, I’m so sorry. Dean he- he broke me out of Purgatory and we have a plan and I’m going to go back for him, I promise. But I have to- I need your help. All of your guys help.”

Sam heard the words come out, but all he could see was Dean. “N-no, Dean, this isn’t funny, okay? Castiel is dead, Rue’s dead, Finnick’s dead, but you - you’re _alive,_ so just… knock it off, okay? Come get a drink.” 

‘Dean’s’ eyes widened and he tilted his head. “W-wait, what? Finn’s dead? H-how? When?”

Sam honestly wondered if he should just lie, because Dean seemed unstable at best, but he didn’t have the time or the energy for it. “It’s kind of a long story, but we… we kidnapped Seneca Crane. We were trying to get him to tell us how to get you and Cass outta Purgatory, but Flickerman caught Sirius and Finnick as they were trying to get Crane back to where they grabbed him from. Flickerman… he, uhh… he killed Finnick. I’m so sorry, man, I know you guys were close.” Sam watched him, bracing himself for some sort of a mental breakdown. 

‘Dean’ simply frowned, looking down. “That’s terrible, poor Finn.” He took a moment to breathe and then looked up again. “Sam, listen to me. I promise you I’m not Dean. This isn’t some sick joke. Have you ever heard of Polyjuice potions and shapeshifters?”

“Yeah, of course -- but -” All of a sudden, the truth hit Sam like a sledgehammer. “You… used Polyjuice Potion to look like D-Dean, and the… body that was sent back wasn’t Cass at all, it was a shifter.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement that Sam now knew to be true. His brother wasn’t crazy, wasn’t having some bizarre mental break. He was just… still in Purgatory. He felt like all the wind had been knocked out of him, and he backed up a few steps until his knees hit a chair and he sat down, putting his head in his hands. 

“Sam I am so sorry, but I promise you I’m going to get him out of there, okay? I need your help, and Sirius’s help, and everyone in this rooms help. This was the only way our plan could work, I didn’t want to leave Dean in there, you have to trust me.”

Sam looked up to see his brother disappearing before his eyes as Castiel’s features returned. That was the nail in the coffin for all of this, and every ounce of hope and happiness he had been feeling vanished. He stood up, his jaw set. “Tell me what you need us to do.” 


	29. War Pigs

**_Purgatory: Dean_ **

“We’re close, it’s just up ahead.” Dean pointed to a spot northwest of himself and Prim as they kept talking. Prim had insisted upon staying at that cave for over three weeks as she searched the surrounding area of her portal. Dean was antsy and ready to get moving after the first forty-eight hours, but he understood her desire to find the portal and wanted to do a better job of protecting her than he did Rue. Once she had become convinced of the fact that she wouldn’t find the portal anywhere near that initial camp, she had agreed to go with Dean to Bobby’s. 

Prim walked close by him as they approached Bobby’s camp. Dean’s eyes scanned the area, and he located Gabriel first. “Gabe! Hey!” 

Gabriel turned and looked shocked to see Dean. His eyes landed on Prim before returning to Dean as he walked over. “New tribute?” 

Dean nodded. “This is Prim Everdeen. Prim, this is Gabriel Jones.” 

Prim took a step closer to Dean but nodded to Gabriel. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Where’s Castiel?” Gabriel looked at Dean, surprised. 

“Hopefully sippin’ mai tai’s on a beach somewhere, honestly. I hope he left this and all of us real far behind. He got out, Gabe. We found the portal.” Dean slid his hands in his pockets. 

From behind him, Bobby spoke. “I’ll be damned, you actually found the blasted thing? How? Where?” 

Dean shook his head. “I didn’t find anything, Cass did. Somethin’ to do with the stars and Cinna hitting on him, I think. I was pretty much just the muscle on this one.” 

Bobby watched Dean, breathing out deeply. “He’s coming back for you, right?”

Dean chewed on his lip but nodded. “Yeah, that was the plan. As long as I keep my Gryffindor shirt on, Cass can  _ accio _ me when he gets back, we’ll come find you guys again, and  _ all _ of us can get the hell outta dodge.”

Prim looked up at Dean with big, hopeful eyes - one’s that reminded Dean way too much of Rue. “We can get out together? All of us? And go back to the castle?”  
Dean nodded to her with a gentle smile. “That’s the plan, kiddo. Hopefully Cass can rally the troops Earthside and be back before we know it.” Dean’s stomach sank as he thought about Castiel and again his mind wandered to what Castiel could be doing right now. _Is he at Hogwarts yet? Has he met up with the Professors and Team Free Will? That son of a bitch better be eating._

“- sound good, Dean?” Bobby’s voice had pulled Dean from his thoughts, as Dean looked to Bobby.

“Uh, could you run that by me again?” Dean asked, shifting on his feet and turning his attention to Bobby.

“Course I can. I was just sayin that we should round up the others - there’s a few more tributes from this year’s Games. We’ll make some dinner, people can eat and get cleaned up and then you can fill the others in around the campfire.”

Dean nodded and looked past Bobby into the main area of the camp. “Yeah, that sounds good to me. C’mon, Prim, I can show you where the river is. What’s on the menu for dinner?”

“Oh, ya know, our finest roasted rabbit and the juiciest berries.” Gabriel grinned, turning and heading back into the camp. Dean followed him in and took a look around the camp. He noticed that there were indeed a lot more people than he remembered and figured they must be the new tributes. 

Prim gasped quietly. “Bela?!” She quickly ran from Dean’s side to this curly haired brunette girl. They then embraced each other in a hug as Dean approached slowly.

“You know her, Prim?” Dean asked, weary of the girl. He knew it wasn’t necessary, but he vowed to keep Prim safe - safer than he did Rue Marsh.

Prim nodded. “This is Bela Talbot, she’s the Slytherin sixth year that was chosen. We’re friends.”

Dean smiled a little when he heard Prim say that and nodded. “Alright, cool. I’m gonna head down to the river, you comin’ with?”  
Prim hugged Bela again and then stepped back, nodding to Dean. “I probably should. I haven’t had a chance to clean myself up yet.”

“Follow my lead, then.” Dean turned and headed in the direction of the river. This walk was all too familiar to him, he used to do it everyday after Rue died when him and Castiel were here. He’d always find Cass laying on the bank of the river, eyes open, just staring up at the sky.

He forced that memory down and swallowed hard as they approached the river. Prim skipped to catch up to him, looking around. “This is kinda pretty, actually.”

Dean looked over at her, his eyebrow raised. “You think so?”

She shrugged and stopped at the edge of the river. “When there isn’t any monsters around, it’s… it’s kinda peaceful, actually.”  
Dean frowned and looked around. Prim was right, when it was quiet and safe, Dean could _almost_ consider it peaceful. The only thing that could make this scenario better would be for his angel to be here. _But that’s the whole point, Dean. You got Castiel out, stop wishing’ he’d be here. You miss him, so what? You gave him the chance to live and damnit, you have to be happy._

“The water -- it’s kinda nice,” Prim spoke, causing Dean to turn to her. He watched her wade into the water and nodded.

“It is now, back when Cass and I were here, in the middle of the fuckin’ winter, it was freezing. We were able to skate on it for a bit.” Dean turned and looked downstream, walking that way.

“I don’t know how to skate.” Prim shook her head, using some water to wash the dirt off her arms. “Peeta Mellark, he is -” she paused, lowering her voice, “he  _ was _ my boyfriend… he promised me that this Christmas he’d teach me out to skate.” She breathed out and splashed the water onto her face. “I guess that isn’t happening anymore, huh?”

Dean watched her and frowned, looking away after a moment. To his right he noticed some berries and bent down to pick them, choosing his words carefully. “Maybe not this Christmas, kiddo, but there’s nothin’ stopping you from learning next Christmas.”

“You really do believe we’re going to get out of here, don’t you?” Prim asked, shaking her head. “I don’t know if I have the same level of confidence as you do.”

Dean shrugged when he was finished picking the berries, holding the bushel of them in his hand. “You don’t know Castiel, Prim. Not like I do, at least. He’s not gonna give up, he’ll do whatever it takes to get us outta here, okay?”

Prim nodded as Dean picked one of the berries, bringing it to his mouth before Prim turned to face him and shrieked. “Dean! Don’t eat those!”

Dean jumped and looked to Prim. “Jesus Christ, Prim, why the hell not? There just blueberries.”  
“Those aren’t blueberries!” She waded out of the water and smacked the berries from Dean’s hands. “Those are Nightlock berries! If you eat them, you’ll be dead before they even reach your stomach. They’re extremely poisonous, okay? Please, you have to trust me on this. I don’t want you to die.”

Dean’s hands were shaking when he realized how close he had just come to almost dying. He cleared his throat and went down to the water, washing his hands from the juice. “Y’know how disappointed Rue would be in me? This makes us officially even. I’ve saved your life, and you just saved mine. Thanks, Prim.”

Prim smiled slightly and nodded once to him. “Don’t mention it, Dean. Just… let me approve your berries before you eat them, okay?”  
Dean cracked a smile and looked back at her. “Yeah, alright. You see, this is why I don’t eat the food my food eats. Now c’mon, let’s go eat food that ain’t gonna kill us.”

Prim and Dean ventured back to the camp and rejoined the group. Everyone enjoyed a spread of rabbit, squirrel and salad that Cressida Bennett had thrown together. Bobby said it was a ‘welcome back’ gift for Dean, which Dean appreciated. He ate a little bit, but he to was too worried about Castiel to really eat anything. 

After everyone had finished eating, they formed a circle around the bonfire. There were logs that people were using as a bench, and some people were sitting on pillows on the ground. Dean was standing in front of the fire with his arms crossed. He looked around the circle and a small smile formed on his lips. 

This obviously wasn’t the ideal situation. The ideal situation would’ve been for Dean to have gotten through that portal too and be back at the castle right now with Sammy and Sirius, James and Cass… and everyone else. Away from this godforsaken place, that would be the perfect situation, but Dean knew that wasn’t possible. Not now, at least. For now, being here with Bobby, Gabriel, Prim and the other chosen… this would have to do.

This would have to do until he was rescued. 

**_Hogwarts: Castiel_ **

Castiel had been trapped in the Room of Requirement for the last two months, trying to teach himself how to Apparate everyday. He’d been able to sneak around the halls with the invisibility cloak, but that was only to go find the Professors who were on their side and Headmaster Shurley. He’d had snippets of conversations with people, but for the most part, it was too risky to have any lengthy amount of contact with anyone, so he’d mostly been alone. 

Right now, Castiel was stood at the front of the room, looking out at the team of people. Professor Cinna, Professor Mills, Professor McGonagall, Headmaster Shurley, Newt Scamander, Sirius Black, Sam Winchester, and that was just to name a few. He let out a deep breath and nodded once.

“Okay, so, I figured I should fill everyone in on what happened with Dean, Rue and I. After Rue was brought back, we only had a little bit of time before we were sent to Purgatory.” He licked his lips before continuing. “I landed and everything was just dry — so dry and dull, it was as if someone had turned a dial and eliminated the strength of the colours. I walked for what felt like forever, it was getting dark and it was terrifying. I was attacked by a werewolf but I managed to knock it unconscious. I ran at that point. Sprinted, even, until I collided with Rue. Luckily her and I seemed to land pretty close to each other. Rue and I managed to find somewhere to hide for the night, but all of a sudden I was teleported somewhere else.” Castiel cleared his throat, nodding once. “Dean was smart enough to figure out that he could summon  _ people  _ if he performed the Summoning Charm while thinking about something the target was wearing. He summoned my Hufflepuff shirt and he was able to bring me to him. He did the same thing with Rue and that’s how we all met up. He had shelter and dinner waiting for us.”

“Holy shit, good for Dean.” Sirius looked impressed, but Cato rolled his eyes. “He only remembered  _ accio  _ because of me.” 

Headmaster Shurley held up a hand to silence them, and looked to Castiel. “What happened to you next?” 

Castiel breathed out and shrugged. “We just… we lived. Survived, did what we had to do. We found a cave that we made our own for a while and we lived there. I found what I thought to be an abandoned camp but… turns out it was heavily inhabited with students from past games. Bobby Singer, Gabriel Jones — they’re alive.”

Newt glanced up quickly. “Gabriel’s alive?” 

There were several shocked murmurs from around the room, but Professor Shurley was beaming. “Of course they’re alive. Being pure of blood is not all it’s cracked up to be, and I’m not at all surprised that Voldemort underestimated just what muggleborns and half-bloods were capable of. This is outstanding news.” 

Castiel nodded in agreement. “We were truly shocked. When Dean told Rue and I the news we packed up and began to head towards the camp. On our way over there we ran into Garth Fitzgerald and…” he looked to the ground, taking a deep breath. “He’s the one who killed Rue Marsh.”

Professor Hanscum spoke up. “He’s a werewolf. Was he… was he changed when it happened?” 

Castiel let out that deep breath and nodded. “Yes. He- he grabbed her and ran into the woods and Dean and I - we chased her but we couldn’t find her in time and when we did… she wasn’t alive anymore.”

Professor Hanscum sighed. “I don’t think that was the Garth you knew. When magical creatures die, their souls are sent to Purgatory instead of Heaven or Hell. It sounds like you guys found a purely animalistic form of poor Garth. Try not to remember him like that, okay?” 

“I just wish Rue were alive still, that’s all.” He looked up and glared at Cato, but eventually continued talking. “Dean and I nearly died that night and we would’ve died if it weren’t for Dean. We were able to make our way to the Base and that’s where we were for a while until I told Dean I was tired of just sitting around. I told him we needed to keep moving and he agreed, so we left. We left and then I was attacked by some… gorilla-wolf that nearly killed me but Dean didn’t give up and he saved me.”

Sam looked at the ground. “Seems like my brother did a  _ lot  _ of that.” 

“He did.” Castiel crossed his arms. “He saved my life more times than I can count. I eventually figured out the star chart, Professor Cinna had laid everything out so clearly for me, I just couldn’t see it. We found the portal… and now I’m here.”

Professor Cinna leaned forward. “I’m still proud of you for figuring it out at all. I had to be extremely vague so I didn’t tip off Caesar or Seneca. But that still doesn’t explain how all of those bodies, including yours, turned up if you guys were really alive all along, or why you escaped the portal looking like Dean.” 

Castiel smiled slightly at Professor Cinna. “I appreciate you saying that and I appreciate you finding a way to get me out of there. The shapeshifters… no one really knows how they work. I had to touch the thing in order for it to take my form and when Dean killed it… it disappeared and I guess turned up wherever they turn up, looking like me. Perhaps some of your soul is absorbed by it or something, I don’t know, I’m just grateful it worked. Dean insisted that I take the polyjuice potion before leaving Purgatory so I would be sent to the Blacks’ house instead of having to stay with Voldemort. I wasn’t adopted by a pureblood family, so if I’d have come through as myself, I would have been at Voldemort’s mercy and the rest of the plan would have failed immediately. Luckily for all of us, polyjuice seems to be the only potion that Dean can successfully create without blowing up the cauldron.” Castiel paused and looked around the room, scanning everyone’s faces.  _ If only Dean were here. Dean and Rue and Finnick. Then I’d be happy, I’d be able to eat and sleep… I could go back to being me. I’ve just got to find the portal and walk back inside, accio Dean’s shirt and then we can get out. Together. _

“So, Castiel, what  _ is  _ your plan?” Professor McGonagall asked, her eyes on Cass. “How can we aide you in this?”

Castiel swallowed hard and looked between everyone. “I need to go back to Purgatory. I know where the portal is -- the one in Voldemort’s mansion. I saw it and I could probably make my way there if I had to, but getting into his mansion without his consent is going to be the problem. Once there, I send myself back into Purgatory and I  _ accio _ Dean’s Gryffindor shirt to me, the same way he did with my Hufflepuff one. When we’re together again, we find Bobby’s camp and we regroup with the others. When we eventually manage to find the portal…” he paused, casting his eyes towards the ground, “the only way to make sure we can all get through it is to make sure we all have…” he cleared his throat, fear rising up in his chest because he wasn’t sure how the others were going to take the mark on his arm.

“You all have  _ what,  _ Castiel?” Professor Mills asked, leaning forward.

“The Dark Mark, Professor.” A couple of the students gasped at Castiel’s words, and he rolled up his sleeve to show the mark that Voldemort had placed on him.

“What does that have to do with anything, and how did you get that?” Professor Cinna looked concerned, his eyebrows pinched as he studied it. 

“Sirius and F-Finnick learned that the Death Eaters get in and out of Purgatory through a portal in Voldemort’s home. They’re able to come and go as they please because  _ that  _ portal is designed to only let people with the Dark Mark in and out of it. The morning after my escape, I, as Dean, was taken to Voldemort’s mansion and he gave me a choice: die, or take his mark and fight for him when he calls for me.” He rolled his sleeve back down and licked his lip. “I had too much work left to do to let him kill me. I know how the mark is transferred, so I can give it to every tribute in Purgatory and smuggle them back out. But there are… problems.” 

Headmaster Shurley stroked his short beard, nodding once. “That’s where the rest of us come in, correct? You’ll need a distraction, something to keep Lord Voldemort away from his house while you go in and get everyone out, right?” 

“Yes, exactly. It will need to be something that will keep him away for days, at least. There’s no telling how long it will take us to find the portal again once I gather everyone.” Castiel nodded. 

Professor Cinna spoke up. “I’ll see if I can formulate another chart of sorts to lead you to the portal. It will be more difficult as you would be joining in the middle of a set Games and this portal is different, but I’ll do my best. Better yet, I can go with you into Purgatory, if you’ll let me. There are spells we can use that should guide us back to the portal.”

“Thank you,” Castiel turned to Professor Cinna. “I appreciate it. The faster we find the portal out, the faster everyone can come home. The aftermath of this… it will be a warzone. I’m serious. Voldemort -- he, he’s not going to be happy. There _will_ be an uprising, just like I promised on the day of the sponsorship. We’re putting a lot at risk here.”  
“And it’s a risk we’re gonna take, Cass. If there’s even a chance that your plan can save Dean and all the others, whatever happens afterwards makes all of this worth it. It makes Rue’s death mean something. Finnick’s death mean something,” Sam stated, pushing himself up off the ground from where he was sitting. “It makes yours and Dean’s sacrifices worth something. We’re doing this.” Sam turned to face everyone else. “Is anyone against that? Does anyone have a reason as to why we shouldn’t take this risk?”  
“Taking this risk promotes an opportunity to put an end to Games _forever_. If that’s a plausible thing… you have my full support.” Headmaster Shurley nodded. “You kids will put an end to these Games… something I was never able to accomplish.”  
“Perhaps not on your own, but with all of us? With all of us on the same team, fighting for the same cause? Working together for once instead of against each other? No Houses or Quidditch teams, just students working together to save their friends? Together… we can accomplish this. We’re stronger together, and I truly believe we can do this,” Castiel stated, that confidence that was lost now returning, full force. His mind flashed back to the day he and Dean discovered the bond between their wands. The bond that was equally as strong in them. _We’re stronger together._

“Okay, but how do you plan on getting to Voldemort’s mansion in the first place?” Sam asked, getting them back on track. 

“I’ve been there. I’ve been teaching myself to Apparate, and I’ve nearly got it. All I need to do is focus on Voldemort’s mansion, and I can Apparate there. I need to keep practicing so I can take Professor Cinna, too. Side-Along Apparition is difficult, but I think I can make it work. Do any of you know how to make a PortKey?” 

“I do, of course I do.” Headmaster Shurley nodded. “You’ll need a PortKey to get everyone  _ out  _ of Voldemort’s mansion once you’ve returned, right?”

Castiel nodded. “Exactly. There will be too many of them for Professor Cinna and I to Apparate out of there, especially if it takes us too long to find the portal or the distraction isn’t good enough.” 

Shurley looked lost in thought. “I’d better make two… you said there was a large group in Purgatory already, and then if we add the new tributes and yourself and Cinna…” 

“Yes, there will likely be thirty of us when we come back out.” He turned his eyes to Cinna. “I’ll need to give you the Dark Mark. Are you… are you okay with that?” 

Cinna shuddered, but nodded. “Yes, I’m willing to do whatever is necessary, Castiel.”

“Right. Okay, are there any… volunteers for the distraction?” Castiel looked around, and several hands shot up.

“Sam, you need to stay here.” Sam immediately started protesting, but Castiel cut him off. “Someone will need to keep the Room of Requirement open and prepared to house…” he looked around the room and did the math. “Nearly fifty people altogether. Not to mention when the PortKey returns Dean here, he will strangle me to death if he finds out I let you do that and I’ve survived far too much for that to happen. He will want - no, he will  _ need  _ to see you.” Sam reluctantly nodded, subdued by his thoughts. 

“That leaves Sirius, Cato, Professor McGonagall, Headmaster Shurley—” 

The headmaster raised a hand to cut him off. “Castiel, we’re going to  _ war  _ together. Call me Chuck.” 

“Minerva,” came Professor McGonagall’s response. 

“Cinna. Just the one name… kind of like Cher.” Cinna grinned, but Castiel had absolutely no idea who he was talking about. 

The other professors went on to agree that they could be called by their first names, and Castiel was immensely grateful for them all. 

“Okay, so that leaves Sirius, Cato, James, Remus, Peter, Newt, Minerva…  _ Chuck,  _ Jody, Donna, and…” he scanned the room, “the rest of you. It will be up to you guys to create the distractions that will keep Voldemort away. This will unfortunately take some time to prepare, so work together on this - it might be best to think of multiple distractions and time them so Voldemort has to deal with one after the other. You guys will be in the most danger, so  _ please  _ stick together and  _ please  _ be careful.”

Nods and murmurs of approval met him and he let out a breath. “Okay, it’s nearly the end of April. We have a month and a half until the end of the school year, and I think…” his heart dropped to his feet, because this was the part he hated the most. “I think we need to wait until all of the kids are safely back at home before we do this. Voldemort will almost certainly come here looking for everyone once he realizes that there isn’t a single tribute left in Purgatory, and we can’t put the other students at risk like that.” 

Sam stood up, suddenly irate. “A month and a half! Cass, what about Dean?!”

Castiel kept his eyes to the ground. “No one wants Dean out of there more than I do, okay?” He steeled himself and met Sam’s eyes. “But Dean would never forgive any of us if we put hundreds of children in danger because we acted too quickly. I believe in him, I - I know he can survive another few weeks. He has to.” 

Chuck nodded. “Castiel is right, not to mention the fact that the professors here still have lessons to teach and exams to give for the students not yet affected by this nightmare. It would look too suspicious if we disappeared now. Once the students are safely at home with their families, we will meet in the Great Hall and put Castiel’s plan into motion. In the meantime, we can continue to meet here in order to discuss possible distraction plans, practice defensive and offensive spells, and Cinna can assist Castiel in learning Side-Along Apparition. We also need to begin preparations for the war that will follow.” 

The room fell silent for a moment as the truth of what they were doing set in. Castiel took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “So, when the school year ends… the Uprising begins.” 


	30. With a Little Help From My Friends

_ Hogwarts: Castiel  _

The school year ended with no further updates on the tributes in Purgatory, and Cass took that to mean that Dean was still alive. He thought maybe if Dean’s body showed up, the Death Eaters wouldn’t bother to tell anyone because then they’d have to explain how Dean  _ also  _ came through the portal, but he wouldn’t put it past Flickerman to try to rub it in Sam’s face nonetheless. He had to believe that Dean was still alive, otherwise, this was all for nothing. 

He and Cinna had perfected Side-Along Apparition, and he’d already chanced more than one trip to Voldemort’s mansion under the invisibility cloak just to make sure he wouldn’t have any trouble finding it when it came time to actually put this plan in motion. 

When the last of the students boarded the Hogwarts Express and left, Castiel joined the others in the Great Hall. 

“Alright, guys - it’s time.” Chuck looked around the room at each of their faces. “This is going to be dangerous, but we’ve gone over the plan dozens of times. Does anyone need it repeated?” Everyone shook their heads, and Castiel moved next to Cinna. 

“Good. Every second counts now, so there’s no point in waiting until morning. You all know how crucial the next few hours are going to be, but more than that - we have to keep Voldemort busy, maybe for days. If this works, we will have rescued every living tribute left in Purgatory, and thrown the first punch in the war that will hopefully end the Mudblood Games and Voldemort’s reign altogether.” 

Castiel stepped forward. “Cinna and I will make this trip as quickly as possible.” He turned to Cinna. “Hold… hold out your arm. I need to give you the mark.” 

Most of the students and professors around him took steps backward, but Cinna stepped forward and extended his arm to Castiel. Cass grabbed it with the arm that bore the mark the same way that Voldemort had done, placed the tip of his wand on Cinna’s forearm, and said,  _ “Morsemordre.”  _ The mark on Castiel’s arm darkened briefly and he could see something traveling under his skin towards Cinna. A moment passed before the Dark Mark appeared, seared into his skin as Cinna jerked in pain. It was over quickly, and Cinna relaxed as he pulled his sleeve down over it. “Let’s go.” 

Castiel nodded and looked out at everyone. “It’s now or never, guys. Who’s initiating the first distraction?”

“That would be me.” Professor McGonagall said. “Then Donna and Jody are next, and then the students.” 

Chuck nodded. “And I’ll be… well, I’ll be everywhere.” 

“Okay, perfect. Professor McGonagall, we’ll give you thirty minutes to get your distraction started before Cinna and I Apparate to Voldemort’s. Does that sound okay?”

A tiny smirk appeared on her face. “That should be plenty, Mr. Novak.” 

Castiel nodded and let out a deep breath. “Let’s do this then.”

\--------------------------

Castiel and Cinna stayed in the Great Hall for those thirty minutes, staying silent. Every now and then Cinna would check his watch, but this time he spoke. “Alright, Castiel. It’s been thirty minutes. Should we go?”

Castiel tensed but nodded. “Yes, I suppose we should. Are you ready?”

Professor Cinna nodded once and crossed his arms. “I believe so, and you? Are you ready?”

Castiel took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Then let’s go bring them home.” Cinna stepped over to Castiel and touched his arm, and Castiel threw the invisibility cloak over them both before Apparating them to Voldemort’s mansion. 

They landed outside, and Cinna kept his grip on Cass’s arm as they walked tentatively towards the house. Cinna whispered, “do you think it worked? Do you think he’s gone?” 

Castiel looked around and nodded. “We don’t have time to dwell on it. We need to trust that Professor McGonagall’s distraction worked. Let’s just go for it.”

Cinna pointed his wand at Voldemort’s front door and magically opened it. They stepped in and Castiel pulled the cloak down tighter over them. “It’s this way, come on.” Castiel let them down the hallway and threw the door that leads to the room where he met Voldemort. He glanced around frantically, but no one was there and the portal was now right in front of them. “Together, count of three?” 

Cinna nodded. “Three… two… one.” They stepped through the portal in unison, and Castiel felt a slight resistance before the portal seemed to accept them and let them through.  _ Must have been searching for the Dark Mark.  _

They landed in Purgatory and Cass turned around to make sure the portal was still there. It was, and Castiel nearly sobbed with relief.

“It’s okay, Castiel. It’s still there, everything is working so far. Now, you said something about summoning Dean?” 

Castiel nodded, trying to keep his breathing steady as he looked around Purgatory. He’d been out, he’d been safe - and now he was back. Willingly, for the second time in his life. He pulled out his wand and squeezed his eyes shut, a vision of Dean’s Gryffindor shirt blazing in his mind. “ _ Accio Gryffindor shirt!”  _

Seconds passed and nothing happened. Castiel’s heart was hammering in his chest and his panic level was rising. He tried to remember how long it took Rue to arrive after Dean had summoned her shirt their first night there, but most of the first few weeks were a fog in his mind. He heard a sound from behind him and turned, hope sparking again just to be snuffed out when he was smacked in the face by the Gryffindor shirt - and  _ only  _ the Gryffindor shirt, which was soaked with blood. Castiel looked at it with wide eyes, his heartbeat thundering in his ears now. “W-what? No… no, it was supposed to work, he was - he was supposed to come with it!” Castiel turned terrified eyes towards Cinna, who was frowning deeply at the shirt in Castiel’s hands.

“Castiel, I’m… I’m sorry.” Cinna took a step forward, but Castiel backed away from him. 

“Does this mean… he’s… dead?” 

**_Purgatory: Dean_ **

Dean had just about given up hope that Castiel was ever going to come back for him. It had been months at this point with no sign of him. He hoped that wherever Cass was, he was safe and at least trying to be happy. 

He’d just gotten back from hunting dinner for the camp, and he was soaked in blood. Plutarch had gone with him and they’d ran into a nest of vampires and two ghouls on their way to check the traps they’d set the night before. It was close, and both Dean and Plutarch had suffered some surface injuries that were easily healed, but he was covered head to toe in guts and blood. He looked at Plutarch, who wasn’t much better off. “We better get cleaned up before we track blood all over the place, Bobby was  _ pissed  _ last time.” 

Plutarch nodded and looked down at himself. “It’s been a while since we’ve ran into a nest that size.”

“Yeah, thank god. We got lucky today, the fuckers were still half-asleep.” Dean dropped the rabbits and squirrels they’d caught off to Molly and Cressida for prepping and then started towards the river.

Plutarch followed him and nodded. “It’s getting cooler outside too. It’ll be fall, if not winter very soon.”

“What is this, Game of Thrones? ‘Winter is coming?’ Yeah, I know, man. I really thought Cass would be back by now. Anyway, the girls have been tanning the animal hides for more blankets. I think we’ll be alright, as long as the snow doesn’t get too crazy.” Dean pulled off his boots, socks, and Gryffindor shirt and washed it off in the river, rubbing the fabric together to try and get as much of the blood out as possible. 

Plutarch sighed quietly, scrubbing his hands clean of blood. “It’s been how long, Dean? Are you really still counting on Castiel coming back?”

Dean stopped, putting the shirt down on the riverbank and starting to rinse his arms off.  _ No. If there was a way to do it, he’d have done it by now.  _ “Yeah, man. You don’t know him like I do, okay? He’s gonna come through for us.” 

Plutarch shrugged and pulled his shirt off. “If you’re certain, Dean. There’s a lot of people counting on you and him.”

“Look, if anyone on planet fucking Earth can pull this shit off, it’s Cass Novak. Believe me.” Dean shook the water off of his hands and stepped back to pull his jeans off. He saw movement in the corner of his eye, and his Gryffindor shirt lifted off the ground and whizzed past him, smacking him in the face as it went. “What the-- fu --” His head whipped around to follow the path of the shirt, and all at once it made sense to him. He let out a triumphant “HA! Fuckin’ told you!” and raced after the shirt, trying to re-button his jeans as he ran. 

Plutarch ran after him. “Wait, told me what?!” 

Dean was grinning from ear to ear and all out sprinting now, ignoring the rocks and sticks that were tearing at his bare feet. His words came out in breathless huffs. “Cass - the shirt… he’s -- he’s here --- he came back for… m--us!”

The shirt, however, was moving too fast for Dean to keep up, and within a couple of minutes it was out of sight completely. Dean slowed to a stop, his hands on his bare waist nursing a stitch in his side as he heaved breaths. “God…  _ damnit…  _ Plutarch, you see where that went?” 

Plutarch was even more out of breath than Dean was, and all he could do was shake his head and double over. 

Dean turned in circles, and dug his wand out of his jeans. “ _ Periculum.”  _ A shower of red sparks appeared in the sky over their heads, and Plutarch lifted his head enough to eye him. 

“What are you doing?” 

Dean shushed him and closed his eyes, trying to listen to the world around him. He heard several things, but none of them were Cass. He spoke quietly, “Cass is here. He was supposed to summon my shirt, which woulda taken me with it if I actually had the fucking thing on. The red sparks were our signal when we were here together. He’s gotta be - he’s gotta be close.” 

Dean suddenly gets an idea. “ _ Accio Gryffindor shirt!”  _ A few moments later, the bloody shirt flew back at him and he caught it in shaking hands. “It came from that way, let’s move!” Dean took off again in the direction the shirt came from, pulling it over his body as he ran. He grabbed ahold of Plutarch’s arm, hoping against hope that Cass would think to summon it again. 

And he must have, because they hadn’t made it more than a hundred yards before he was being jerked wildly forward, forcing him to double his grip on Plutarch who was racing along with him. He smacked into a tree and the bark shredded the skin on his chest, but the pain only registered for a moment, because he landed just seconds later on the ground in front of Castiel Novak and Professor Cinna. 

Castiel’s eyes widened as he looked Dean up and down, swallowing hard. “Dean? You’re- you’re you, right? Not a shapeshifter?”

Dean scrambled to his feet and completely ignored Castiel’s question and the fact that Cinna and Plutarch were standing right next to them. He put both hands on Cass’s face and kissed him hard, pulling his face back after a moment. “Do I look like a goddamned shifter to you?” He smirked and kissed him again. 

Cass kissed him back, pulling away after another long moment, wrapping his arms around Dean. “I missed you so much.”

Dean’s whole body was vibrating from adrenaline, exhaustion, relief and disbelief. He spun them so he could look at Plutarch over Cass’s shoulder without letting him go. “I told you so, you skeptical little shit. I told you he’d come back.” 

Plutarch rolled his eyes but was smiling nonetheless, as Castiel held onto Dean tighter and whispered, “I did it, Dean. I- I  _ actually _ did it.”

Dean buried his face in Castiel’s neck, closing his eyes as wave after wave of relief flooded him. “I knew you could do it. You really are my guardian fucking angel.”

Cinna cleared his throat. “Castiel, we don’t have much time.” 

Castiel sniffled and pulled back, taking a shaky breath. “Cinna’s right. We have to go. We have to gather the others, this portal that Cinna and I came through - it’s the one in Voldemort’s mansion.” Castiel rolled up his sleeve and showed Dean the Dark Mark.

Dean flinched when he looked at it. “He didn’t kill you though, so I guess that’s a plus. Explain on the way, I think I can get us back to Base pretty quickly.” 

They started walking, and every few feet Cinna whispered, “ _ Diffindo,”  _ behind them, slicing X’s into the trees to mark the way back. 

Castiel had clutched onto Dean’s hand as they walked, taking a deep breath before he looked over at him. “The only way you all can come back with us is to take the Dark Mark too. That’s how Voldemort and all the others are able to come and go as they please.”

Dread filled Dean. “You shittin’ me, Cass? We have to take that bastard’s mark to get outta here?” 

Hurt momentarily flashed across Castiel’s face as he dropped his eyes to the ground. “I’m sorry, Dean. This is the only way out I could find.”

Dean shook his head quickly and squeezed Cass’s hand. “No, angel, you did perfect, you did fucking amazing. I’m just pissed that the asshole rigged it like that, that’s all. It’s not your fault.” He walked a little quicker, Plutarch in step beside him. 

Castiel nodded and let out a deep breath as they walked. “I don’t like it either. We have the others back at the castle causing distractions to keep Voldemort away from his house. He’ll catch on soon enough, we need to hurry.”

“Shit, yeah we gotta run.” Dean waved his arm to Plutarch and Cinna and took off at a run, pulling Cass with him because he wasn’t ever letting go of him again. They went as quickly as they could given the rough terrain and Dean’s lack of shoes, and made it back to Base. 

“BOBBY! GABE!” Dean yelled, getting the attention of all of the tributes that were still outside of their tents. They all stood quickly when they saw Professor Cinna, who they all recognized from their time at Hogwarts. Several pairs of eyes fell on Castiel, and one by one realization dawned on them. “Yeah, first of all - a big fat fuckin’ ‘I told you so’ to every goddamned one of you, cuz I knew he’d come back for us. Second of all, hurry up - it’s time to go home.” 

Prim grinned and ducked into her tent, probably packing up what little items she still had. Everyone else dispersed and quickly gathered a bunch of things as Castiel turned to Dean. “Did Prim- did she tell you about Finnick?”

His face darkened and he nodded as Bobby came out. “I’ll be damned, son. You actually came back for us.” 

Castiel squeezed Dean’s hand and looked to Bobby. “It was a hell of journey but yes, I came back. I promised Dean I would, and I keep my promises.”

Gabriel came bounding up behind Bobby. “I gotta tell ya, you’re a sight for sore eyes. Deano here hasn’t shut up about you in months.” Dean glared at him as his face flushed, but Gabriel acted like he didn’t notice. “So, how are we busting out?” 

Castiel smiled over at Dean and then looked back at Gabriel. He rolled up his sleeve and showed him the Dark Mark. “You all have to take this Mark. Cinna and I have it, it allows us to go through the portal freely. Once we’re back at Voldemort’s mansion, we have PortKeys that will take us back to the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts.”

Everyone looked impressed and also a little scared. Bobby spoke first. “That thing’s evil, but if it gets me outta this dump, sign me up.” He walked forward to Castiel and stuck out his arm. “Let’s have it then, son.” 

Castiel looked to Dean as if he was looking for permission before holding onto Bobby’s arm. “ _ Morsemordre.” _ The Mark darkened on Castiel’s skin and then slowly appeared on Bobby’s arm, searing itself into his skin.

Dean bit his lip and his skin crawled at the thought of taking the mark, but he absolutely believed Castiel that it was the only way. He stepped forward and held his arm out. “Do it.” 

Castiel swallowed hard but took Dean’s arm in his hand and repeated what he did with Bobby, watching as the Mark appeared on the side of Dean’s arm as well.

Dean flinched from the brief, burning pain but stepped back as one by one, the remaining tributes got their marks. In the interest of time, Dean had started copying Cass’s movements and within a few short minutes, they were done. 

He looked at Cass and Cinna. “Anything else we need or should we… y’know… run?” 

Castiel blinked and looked out at everyone, chewing his lip which was a sure sign he was nervous. He looked back to Dean and nodded once, letting out a shaky breath. “Okay, we should run.”

“Alright everyone, you heard the angel. Let’s get the fuck outta Purgatory!” Dean, Castiel and Cinna took off running, following the X’s that Cinna had carved into the trees to guide them. Dean had his wand in one hand and his machete in the other as he ran, trying to stay as close to Cass as possible. He became acutely aware that they were making too much noise, moving too fast, drawing too much attention to themselves, and all too close to dark. Dean saw the wendigo from the corner of his eye, and Primrose Everdeen’s scream pierced the darkness. 

Dean stopped in his tracks, yelling, “I got her, Cass, go! Get the others to the portal, I’ll follow the trees!” He sprinted after the wendigo, heading towards the line of caves on the other side. He heard Cass screaming for him to stop, but he couldn’t let Prim die the same way Rue did. He promised himself he’d take better care of her. He checked the first cave and found nothing, and moved quickly to the second. He knew that wendigos liked to take their victims back to a sort of nest, so his chances were good that she’s still be alive, as long as he found her quickly. 

He checked two more caves, not finding anything in either one. In the fourth cave, he heard Prim crying. He was suddenly grateful that he was barefoot, because he was able to keep his steps absolutely silent as he approached the sound. He gasped quietly when she finally came into view. The wendigo was attempting to tie her up, but it must have heard him gasp because it turned quickly, it’s eyes meeting Dean’s. He barely had time to throw his wand up and yell, “ _ Lacarnum Inflamarae!”  _ before it reached him. The fireball shot from Dean’s wand and ignited in the wendigo’s chest. It flailed around, hissing and screeching before collapsing to the ground. 

Dean quickly skirted around it and untied Prim. “Are you hurt?” 

She shook her head quickly. “N-no, nothing major. We need to g-go.”

Dean nodded, looking her over once because he couldn’t believe she was actually unharmed. She seemed to be telling the truth, so he took her hand and bolted out of the cave, getting quickly back on the path Cinna had marked. 

When they reached the end of the path and got back to the portal, only Castiel and Bobby remained. “I…” Dean’s breathing was insanely heavy, so he just gestured to Prim instead of trying to explain that he got her. 

Prim was breathing equally as heavily as she turned to Dean. “Thank...you…”

“Thank me when we’re back at Hogwarts, and then still don’t thank me - thank  _ him.”  _ Dean pointed to Cass and then nodded to him. “I guess the others went through, are we ready?” 

Castiel nodded and looked between the four of them. “Yes, we’re ready. On the count of three?”

“Screw this, I’m outta here!” Bobby stepped through the portal and Dean chuckled. 

“Yeah.” He took Cass’s and Prim’s hands. “Three… two… one…” The three of them took one giant step forward through the portal and landed in Voldemort’s house, in the same room Dean had met him in all those months ago. 

A chill ran down his spine. “Okay, where’s this PortKey?” 

Castiel pulled it from inside his robes and held it out in front of him. “Everyone grab on.”

Dean let go of their hands so he and Prim could both grab on. Bobby stood next to Cass and put his hand on it, and Dean opened his mouth to give Cass the go-ahead when he heard a crash behind them. He turned quickly, and saw a pair of bright red eyes staring back at him. 

Voldemort tossed the body of Remus Lupin at their feet, snarling, “I should have known it was you. Their little distraction failed, Dean, just like you did.” 

Dean couldn’t take his eyes off of Remus’s broken body. He reached down to grab ahold of Remus’s hand without taking his other one off of the PortKey just as Voldemort raised his wand. “Cass!” 

Castiel must have activated the PortKey, because Dean saw a flash of green light as the room faded out and he was once again suffocated as the PortKey took them to Hogwarts. 

When they landed, Dean immediately knew something was wrong. The weight on his right side was too heavy. He glanced over to Prim and realized that he was squeezing her hand, but she wasn’t squeezing back. Her eyes, much like Rue’s had been that day, were wide and glassy. He stared at her for a long moment in shock, the truth of what he was seeing slowly sinking in. “N-no - we got  _ out,  _ she said she wasn’t  _ hurt --  _ what the hell happened!” He dropped to his knees next to her body and started looking for injuries that he just couldn’t see, but there were none there.

Castiel quickly fell to his knees beside Dean, his eyes darting over Prim’s body. “T-there was a flash of green light w-when we left. That - that usually correlates with  _ Avada Kedavra _ . She - Voldemort hit her with the curse.” He looked to Dean and blinked back his tears. “I’m sorry, Dean.”

Dean looked from Prim’s body to Remus’s, tears welling in his eyes before he could stop them. “I - I tried, Cass. I tried.”  _ I tried. I tried. I tried.  _

Castiel pulled Dean to him so Prim was between their bodies, whispering, “I know you did, Dean. It’s not your fault, okay? You couldn’t have stopped it, Voldemort did it.”

“I ducked, Cass, I -- I ducked to grab Remus’s body. That curse shoulda hit  _ me.”  _ Dean rubbed his eyes on Cass’s shirt, his chest heaving. 

Castiel tensed and held Dean tighter. “You didn’t know he was going to do that, Dean, There’s no way you could have known. I- I’m sorry.”

“She was just a kid!” Dean’s voice came out louder than he intended, but all he could think about were the people they lost. He pulled back from Cass and stood up, suddenly not wanting to be anywhere near the bodies of people that had died for him. He knew it was selfish, but he couldn’t face them. He looked around them. “Cass… where are we?” 

Castiel stayed kneeling with his eyes closed, before finally opening them and looking around. “I think…” he stood up, letting out a deep breath. “I think we’re still in the Room of Requirement, but a different version of it. I wasn’t - I wasn’t really focusing on where I was going, I just knew we had to get out of there, but I couldn’t get us away quick enough.”

Dean has no idea what Cass meant by a ‘different version’, but his mind was finally starting to focus again.  _ Cass got you out. You’re not in Purgatory anymore. You’re at Hogwarts. You’re safe. Sam is here. Sam is -  _ “Okay, how the hell do we get to the  _ right  _ version?” 

Castiel eyed the door and walked over to it, opening it hesitantly and stumbling

backwards quickly when Headmaster Shurley was standing outside it. Castiel had his hand on his heart, blinking. “You scared me.”  
“That wasn’t my intention, my apologies.” Chuck shifted his eyes to Dean, smiling slightly. “Welcome home, Dean.”

Dean looked at him and nodded once. “Thanks for the assist. I uhh-- we…” His eyes flicked down to Prim and Remus. “Voldemort.” 

Chuck frowned deeply and walked over to the two bodies, touching their heads and sending them away. “Let’s hope Primrose and Remus are the last two fatalities.” He looked to Dean again, speaking softly. “If you’re ready to go, I can take you to the proper version of this room. Your brother is waiting for you.”

Dean nearly lost it again at the thought that he was actually, truly about to see his brother again. He was sore and tired and bloody, but he grabbed Cass’s hand and laced their fingers, nodding to Shurley. “Please.” 

Castiel squeezed Dean’s hand and let out a breath of relief as Chuck nodded. “Alright, I’ll send you there now. I’ll see you both soon. Good work, Castiel.”

With that, Dean and Castiel were sent to the proper Room of Requirement, landing in the middle of the room. Castiel let go of Dean’s hand and ducked out of the way as Sam threw himself at Dean, wrapping his arms around him.

Dean hugged Sam harder than he ever had before. “I’m here, Sammy, I’m okay. Cass got me out. He got me out, I’m - I’m okay.” 

Sam didn’t speak right away, his body was trembling in Dean’s arms. “I thought I’d never see you again, and then you won the Games but, but it wasn’t really you and - and it was really Castiel and I…”

“I know, Sammy, I’m so sorry about that. He explained though, right? We didn’t have a choice.” He patted Sam on the shoulder and squeezed him tighter before pulling back.

Sam wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands, nodding before he was pulled back and Sirius tackled Dean to the ground. “Holy shit, man.”

Dean was still in survival mode from being in Purgatory so long, so when he hit the ground he panicked, his limbs jerking as he scrambled to roll them over so he was pinning Sirius to the ground. He looked at him wildly for a moment and then it hit him that it was his  _ best friend. _ His breathing slowed and he loosened his grip, a smile slowly forming on his face. “Jesus Christ, man, you’re lucky I didn’t have my machete.” 

Sirius grinned and sat up as much as he could, shifting his eyes between Dean’s. “You’re safe now, man. No more monsters.”

_ No more monsters.  _ Dean sat back, looking around at everyone else. He noticed several of the kids were sporting bruises or cuts, and he realized with a laugh that he was still barefoot. “No more monsters, huh? Then who the hell did  _ you  _ guys piss off?” 

“Causing distractions isn’t as easy as you’d think.” Charlie grinned, crossing her arms. “We’re glad you’re back, Dean.”

Dean stood up and walked over to Cass, taking his hand. He looked around to everyone in turn. “Thank you guys, seriously. I can’t - I can’t believe you guys pulled this off. You saved my life, and all of theirs, too.” He nodded to the other rescued tributes. “You guys are heroes, every damn one of you. You did it.” 

The room erupted in cheers and claps as Castiel smiled, nudging Dean with his shoulder. “Welcome home, Dean.”

**END OF PART THREE**

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for Part 3! Part 4 is the finale and will be posted next Monday in it's entirety.


	31. Mad World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PART FOUR 
> 
> Welcome to the end.

**_Dean_ **

Dean stood hand in hand with Castiel, the flames from the funeral pyre illuminating the night around them. In the year since he escaped Purgatory, they’d lost so,  _ so  _ many people. Voldemort had reacted exactly as Dean thought he would to the mass escape. The first few weeks were a massacre. There was no hiding, no running, no fighting back. No matter what they did or where they went, Voldemort beat them. 

He killed Dean’s parents first. Dean, Sam and Cass had gone back to the Winchesters’ home two days after the escape and found Mary and John Winchester dead in their bed, still in their pajamas. Dean didn’t think he’d ever seen his brother that upset, and he gave all the credit in the world to Castiel for taking charge and calling Chuck Shurley to come get the bodies out. The week after that was a blur, and a majority of it is still a mystery to Dean. They’d received word that Sirius’s parents had been killed the same night, and his heart broke all over again for the loss of Orion and Walburga Black, because without them and their bravery, the escape would never have happened. News continued to trickle in via owls and Patronuses over those next few days about other deaths - Professor Jody Mills, who had been Head of Gryffindor House, Alecto Carrow, Plutarch Heavensbee, and James Potter. 

Dean hadn’t even been sure he’d had any tears left to cry by the time they found out about James, but he’d been proven wrong when Sirius Black showed up on his doorstep, drunk and sobbing. He’d let him in, and Sirius had been living with them at the now-empty Winchester home ever since. 

The latest news hit hard. Castiel’s Aunt Naomi had been slaughtered as she left St. Mungo’s, where she had finally admitted Castiel’s mother Lailah. It was some small mercy that Voldemort hadn’t bothered killing Castiel’s mom, because she was still near catatonic in state. Dean gripped Cass’s hand tighter as they stared at his aunt’s burning body, and Dean could feel the tremors in it. He glanced over at him. “Cass, I’m - I’m so sorry. I thought she’d be safe.” 

Cass couldn’t bring himself to speak, he just nodded once. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he closed his eyes. “I’ve got no one now.”

“That’s not true, Cass. You’ve got me, and Sam, and Sirius. And Newt and hell, even Cato’s come around. We’re each other’s family. I’m your family now, if you still want me.” He brushed his thumb over the back of Cass’s hand. 

Castiel turned and hugged Dean, burying his face in Dean’s neck. “How did everything go so wrong so fast?”

He wrapped his arms around Cass and held him tight. “I’ll let you know if I ever figure it out.” 

Cass pulled back after a long moment and wiped his eyes. “Can we go inside? I don’t think I want to watch anymore.”

Dean nodded, taking Cass’s hand again and walking back inside the house. “I’m so sorry, angel. I know how it feels, and it’s the worst feeling in the world.” 

Cass nodded and spoke quietly, “I know. You’ve lost more people than I have. None of this is fair, Dean.”

“It’s not, but hey - we got one victory already. Chuck was able to stop the Death Eaters from taking a single kid this year. No more Mudblood Games, unless we outright lose this war.” Dean walked to the kitchen and poured them each a drink. 

Castiel leaned against the wall in the kitchen, chewing on his bottom lip. “We did. Hopefully we saved a lot of children.”

“Twelve and counting, Cass. Not to mention all the ones we saved from Purgatory and our own Games.” He smiled sadly at Cass. “We lost a few, too, but… all in all, I think we’re doing pretty good.” 

Castiel crosses his arms and closes his eyes. “I wish Rue were alive still. Her family probably doesn’t even care that she died. They have no idea what she was like. She didn’t get a funeral or anything, all she got was me screaming and yelling and nearly getting us killed. Her body disappeared and god knows what they did with it.”

Dean’s stomach churned at the thought, and he took a long drink of whiskey. “We were Rue’s family, too. We care. We know what she was like. Isn’t the whole point of this that blood doesn’t matter? Pureblood, halfblood, mudblood… doesn’t make a damn bit of difference. Family don’t end with blood, Cass. But it doesn’t start there, either.” 

Cass opened his eyes and smiled sadly, taking a sip of his drink. “You’re right, but it doesn’t make it suck any less, you know?”

“Yeah, I think I learned that shortly after I found out about Finn.” He pushed off of the counter and walked into the living room to see if their owl had returned yet, but the cage was empty. “You heard from Sirius or Sam this week?”

Castiel shook his head and followed Dean into the living room. “I haven’t. I’m sure they’re okay, though I don’t want to assume anything anymore.”

“They were supposed to be gathering what’s left of Team Free Will, but I haven’t heard from a damn one of them.” He took a long drink and sat down on the couch, patting the cushion next to him. “C’mere.” 

Castiel moved quickly and sat down beside Dean, setting his drink on the table in front of him. Dean lifted his arm and Cass curled up against him. “One way or another, angel, we’re gonna make it out of this.” 

Cass closed his eyes and tilted his chin up to kiss Dean. “I know we will. We made it out of Purgatory, what’s one more thing?”

“Hell, you made it out of Purgatory  _ twice.”  _ Dean kissed him again, a little longer this time. “You’re the only person in history that can say that.” 

Castiel smiled slightly. “You helped me. I wouldn’t have been able to escape the first time without your help.”

“We all need help sometimes, Cass. But I knew you could do it. I mean, I was starting to have my doubts when months went by, but I figured it was because there just  _ wasn’t  _ a way, not because you were incapable of finding it.” Dean kissed him again, because there was no one left in the world to tell him not to. 

Castiel smiled against his lips, pushing himself up more so he could deepen the kiss. Dean wrapped his arms around him and pulled him on top of him so Cass was straddling him, looping his thumbs in Cass’s belt loops and gently biting his lip. Castiel closed his eyes and let out a needy noise, pulling his lip back. He rested his forehead against Dean’s whispering, “we’ve got a place to stay. That’s nice, at least.”

He nodded slightly. “A place we’ve currently got all to ourselves.”

Castiel’s eyebrows raised as he pulled back, flicking his eyes between Dean’s. He leaned down and kissed him again, and Dean slid his hands under Cass’s shirt and started pulling up. Castiel bit Dean’s lip this time, closing his eyes. He dug his fingertips into Dean’s sides as he shifted around on top of him, and Dean’s breathing quickened. “Take your damn shirt off, Cass.” 

Castiel grasped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it off quickly, throwing it to the ground. He pulled on the bottom of Dean’s shirt as well, speaking slowly and quietly, “your shirt too, Dean.”

Dean sat forward enough that Cass was able to pull his shirt off, then he leaned back against the couch again and slowly ran a hand down Cass’s chest, biting his lip as his eyes followed his hand. Castiel’s body shivered under his touch as Castiel closed his eyes, tilting his head to the side. Dean traced some of the scars with his fingertips. “You’re perfect, y’know that?” 

Castiel let out a slow breath and opened his eyes, flicking them to Dean’s face. “I’m far from perfect, Dean.”

Dean shook his head, grabbing Cass’s chin and pulling him down to kiss him. “Not to me, and I’m the only one that matters.” 

Castiel cracked a small smile, nodding. “You’re right, Dean. You’re the only one who matters.”

\------------------

Sam and Sirius had returned a few days later with the remains of Team Free Will. There weren’t many of them left, but Dean was happy to see that they hadn’t lost anyone else since Aunt Naomi. They were all crowded in the living room, sipping beer or hot chocolate and tending to various wounds.

“So, what do we do now?” Sam looked up at Dean, as if he was supposed to know the answer. 

“We keep fightin’, Sam. Just like we always do. We need to start hitting his strongholds. Knock out his potions supplies, trap some of his Death Eaters. None of us will ever beat him in a fair fight, so we’re gonna have to cheat - and cheat good.” Dean looked around to see a couple of people nodding their approval. 

Chuck Shurley, Hogwarts’ Headmaster, spoke. “Where do you suggest we begin? Nothing we’ve done so far has made much of a dent, unless you count putting a temporary end to the Mudblood Games.” 

Dean tilted his head slightly. “I’d say that’s a damn big dent there, Chuck. But you’re right, it seems like every step we take forward, Voldemort pushes us five steps back. Which is why I’m suggesting we switch it up - hit something he’s not prepared for.” 

“So what’s first, then?” Sam stood, looking like he was already prepared to leave. 

Dean walked over to the large table and spread out the map he’d been creating over the last year. “Alright, so from what we’ve gathered, Voldemort has about a dozen safe houses. These two,” he pointed to the map, “are where he keeps his shit. Potions ingredients, weapons, you name it. I say we hit there first. I’m talkin’ we blow them up.” He looked at Sam, smiling slightly. “We still got that rocket launcher?” 

Sam nodded. “It’s downstairs with the rest of dad’s weapons cache.” 

“Okay, so we split up into teams and we hit him hard. The fun stops now, fellas. It’s go time. Chuck, I want you to take Gabriel, Bobby, and Minerva with you and head to this one.” He circled one of the houses and showed him. “I’ll take Sirius, Cass, and Cato with me and hit the other one. Sammy, I need you and Newt and the others to stay here in case something goes wrong.” 

“Dean, what? No - I’m not just gonna sit around an-and -” 

“Yes, you are. If somethin’ happens to us, somebody needs to stick around and keep the fight going. There’s no one I’d trust to do that more than you, and besides - while we’re doing that, I need you on recon duty. I need you to go scout Azkaban. Find out how many Death Eaters it’s taking to control the Dementors.” Dean set his jaw and looked at Sam. 

“You’re going to take over Azkaban.” It wasn’t a question, and Dean  _ knew _ it wasn’t a question, but he answered anyway.

“Yes, we’re gonna regain control of the prison. Not right away, that one’s gonna take some planning, but that’s the goal. So you guys will do that while the rest of us hit Voldemort hard. Any questions?” 

Cato jerked his chin up. “Can I fire the rocket launcher?” 

_\-----------------------------_

They had set out two days later, each one of them covered by a Disillusionment Charm. By this point, he, Cass, Sirius and Cato were basically a flawless team. They’d run several small missions together over the last year, and Dean trusted each of them with his life - even Cato. He’d been a hard sell at the beginning, but ultimately Cato joined their cause because he couldn’t stand the way muggleborns were being treated. Dean guessed that had a lot to do with the fact that Cato was in love with a muggleborn, but he never pressed Cato too much on the subject because at the end of it, he was just happy to have someone around that wasn’t afraid to share in some of the dirtier parts of war.

Wherever possible, Dean had tried to keep both Sirius and Cass out of the fighting. Sirius, like Sam, mainly ran recon missions and Cass handled the research and potion-making they needed along with Newt and Peter. He and Cato were left to do any of the violent aspects, but as this was war - there were quite a few of them. Sirius was joining them on a more frequent basis, and there wasn’t much Dean could do about it. This one required more people, and Cass had  _ insisted  _ that he come along. They more often than not traveled out under Disillusionment Charms, so they’d worked out a system to communicate if they were close enough to each other. One tap on the hand for caution, two for all good/all clear, and three rapid taps for abort mission. They’d had some close calls over the last year, but neither one of them had ever triple tapped. 

They traveled by broom to the safe house, and Cato had the rocket launcher strapped over his back. They landed a short distance away and scanned the area, clocking nearly a dozen Death Eaters coming and going from the house. Dean glanced at Cato, because they hadn’t expected so many potential victims. Cato tapped Dean’s hand twice, acknowledging that he saw them too, and that for him - nothing was changing. If they managed to take out a few Death Eaters while they did this, then all the better.  _ This was war, _ Dean reminded himself of that fact frequently.  _ In war, people die. If you’re lucky, it’s the people on the other side that die most often.  _

He motioned for Cato and the others to stay low to the ground.  _ If we’re gonna do it, we’re gonna make it count. Sorry, Cass. I’ll make this one up to you later.  _ He gripped his wand, knowing if they were going to pull this off, they were going to need more than just a rocket launcher. He crouched low and moved forward slowly, the others behind him. Cass was grabbing at his robes trying to stop him, but Dean reached back and tapped him twice, forcefully. 

One of the Death Eaters outside called out to someone that was in the house. “Walker! Get out here, I think we’ve got company.” Dean immediately pulled back, ducking behind a tree and pulling Castiel to the ground in front of him. They were still under a Disillusionment Charm, but there were all kinds of traces and spells that could have tipped them off to intruders. He should have been prepared for this; Death Eaters or not - Voldemort wouldn’t have left this place unguarded. He licked his lips and glanced around until he was able to make out the very faint form of Cato. He was almost perfectly camouflaged with his surroundings, but Dean knew what he was looking for. 

At the risk of drawing attention to themselves, Dean tapped once on the bark of the tree behind him, signaling Cato to be careful. He risked a glance around the tree to see that the Death Eater had come out of the house - and Dean’s temper rose quickly. It looked like ‘Walker’ was actually Gordon, the jerk that had harassed Cass when Dean was a fifth year. It didn’t surprise him at all that Gordon was now a Death Eater, but it did piss him off. He extended his wand as far as he dared and pointed it at a spot on the house just past Gordon. “ _ Bombarda Maxima!”  _ A large explosion sounded behind Gordon and he was blasted forward by it. Dean heard movement behind him and then Castiel whispered angrily behind him, “Dean, what the hell!” 

Dean ignored him. “Cato, now!” Two long heartbeats later, he heard the boom from the rocket launcher, and Dean simultaneously yelled, “ _ Lacarnum Inflamarae!”  _ and a fireball shot out of Dean’s wand, aiding the projectile. The combined impact caused the house to break apart with a rapid series of sickening cracks, and then the air around them was nothing but debris and --  _ blood, that’s blood.  _ He had thrown himself behind the tree again and was shielding Castiel with his body, bracing himself every time he was smacked with a piece of the house’s siding. Sound and chaos eventually settled into a thick, suffocating dust cloud. Dean heard coughing from somewhere far away, and he staggered to help Cass to his feet. His ears were ringing in the aftermath of the explosion, which was a  _ lot  _ bigger than he’d anticipated, but he assumed it was due to all of the potions ingredients inside the house. He turned slowly, and the sound was muffled in his ears as he yelled, “Drop the charms!” He tapped himself and then Castiel with the tip of his wand and undid the Disillusionment Charms, bringing them both into clarity. Cass looked terrified, and Dean couldn’t blame him. He knew what a blast of that magnitude could do, and he doubted that even his attempt to blow Gordon away from the house would have saved him from the resulting debris. 

“D-Dean, where’s Sirius?” Castiel was spinning in his spot and looking around, concern and terror lacing his voice. 

“He took off before the blast.” Cato walked over to them, slinging the strap on the launcher over his shoulder again. “I don’t know where he went. We need to make sure there weren’t any survivors, let’s go now so if there are, we can finish them off before they come to.” 

Dean turned to walk towards the rubble of the house when a large black dog bounded towards them. Dean eyed it and then pointed towards the rubble. “Survivors, Padfoot. Make it quick.” The dog took over, his tail wagging as he shoved his nose under wood planks and shredded furniture. Sirius had taught himself to be an Animagus, and could turn into a black dog at will. He had started learning because the thought of being an animal had been more enticing to him than remaining human and dealing with all of the emotional trauma that came along with losing a vast majority of the people he cared about. Dean had understood the desire behind it, so instead of scolding him for wasting time that could have otherwise been used to plan or prepare, he decided to put Sirius’s new talent to use. With Death Eaters freely roaming the countryside, it wasn’t always safe for Team Free Will to move around, so they’d send Sirius in his dog form to steal newspapers, food, supplies, or even just to spy. His animal senses were stronger, so Sirius quickly sniffed out the only two survivors. He returned to human form to tell them the locations, and Dean and Cato nodded to each other before splitting up to finish the job. Cass hung back with Sirius, and Dean was grateful. He didn’t like this part of the job, he never did and he never would, not even in Purgatory, but he hated making Cass watch it even more. He pulled his small, silver knife out and kneeled in front of the groggy Death Eater. He gave him the same choice they’d given all of Voldemort’s captured supporters. “Rise up, or die.” The only response he received from the man was a growled, “eat me.”  _ Fuckin’ typical. _ Dean closed his eyes and sunk his blade into the Death Eaters chest, and the man coughed and sputtered for a moment before going still. Dean grimaced at the sound his blade made as he pulled it free, and he wiped it on the dead man’s cloak before standing up and walking back to the others. 

Cato was already back. “Is it done?” 

Dean nodded and looked back towards the house. “They won’t be able to salvage a nail outta that mess. We should get back, who knows what kinda alarms we tripped when the place went ‘boom.’ You guys ready?” 

“I was ready a long time ago, Dean.” Cass grabbed his hand and Apparated them home. Sirius and Cato arrived separately moments later, and Sam was on them in an instant. 

“What happened? Are you hurt? Did you do it? Dean, talk to me!” Sam was grabbing his shoulders and spinning him around, giving him a once-over. 

“I can’t talk to you if you don’t friggen shut up, man. I’m fine, okay? We’re all fine. Took out the house and probably close to a dozen Death Eaters in the process. That rocket launcher really packs a punch.” Dean glanced at Cato, who was grinning. Dean rolled his eyes but smiled small, because if he was being honest, it really was awesome. 

“This was a victory today, guys. Don’t get used to it, and prepare yourselves for that dickbag to hit us back twice as hard. Sammy, you check out the prison?” Dean crossed his arms and looked to his brother, who deflated slightly. 

“Yeah, I did. That place is crawling with Death Eaters, Dean. And - and dementors, too. They’re holding a lot of decent witches and wizards there though, and some of the more important muggles. It has to be awful for them.” Sam sat on the arm of the couch. “If we’re going to take it back, we’re going to need one hell of a plan.” 

Dean sighed, because he didn’t have one. “One thing at a time, Sammy, and I’m all ears if anyone has any suggestions. In the meantime, we need to find out what the hell is taking Chuck and the others so long.” 

“He sent his Patronus about five minutes before you showed up,” Newt said from behind Sam, his bowtruckle Groot crawling up his arm. “They were delayed, but they’re unharmed and it appears their mission is going well. He advised not to expect them back tonight.” 

“And you’re sure it was Chuck’s Patronus, not a trick?” Cass stepped forward, standing next to Dean. 

Sam nodded. “Yeah, it was his. How many other people do you know with an actual kitten as a Patronus?” 

“None. I still don’t get it, man, I mean… the whole wide world of ferocious beasts and his is a kitten?” Dean shook his head.

“Don’t underestimate small creatures, Dean.” Newt looked up at him. “You’d be surprised what they’re capable of.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Alright, so they’ll be back tomorrow sometime, and maybe one of them will know what to do about Azkaban. In the meantime, we regroup, try to relax, and spend some time with the people we’ve still got left.” 

Sam smiled lightly and looked between Dean and Cass. “Speaking of, are you guys going to get married anytime soon?” 

Dean choked and looked at Sam, his eyes wide. “Uhh---” 

Cass rolled his eyes at Dean and grinned, looking back to Sam. “We decided to wait until the fighting was over. We’re taking quite a big leap of faith that we’re actually going to  _ win  _ this war, but… it’ll give us something extra to fight for.” 

“Not that we needed it. I know what I’m fightin’ for.” Dean took Cass’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m fightin’ for every poor kid that’s bein’ told they ain’t good enough just because they weren’t born with the right blood in their veins. I’m fightin’ for every single person we lost, and all the people we’re still gonna lose. I’m fightin’ for the freedom of every witch, wizard, magical creature and muggle that doesn’t think blood status makes people somethin’ special. I’m fightin’ to take back our world from the biggest douchenozzle I’ve ever met.” He looked to each of them in turn. “And I’m fightin’ for all of you, cuz every damn one of you fought for me.” 

**_Castiel_ **

It was nearly a week before Chuck returned with the others. Gabriel immediately devoured all the chocolate they had stored in case there was a dementor attack, and Cass was thoroughly annoyed by it. “You couldn’t leave a single bar, Gabriel?”

Gabriel shook his head, dark, chocolatey smudges all over his mouth. “Sorry, I’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth. You wanna hear how we did it?” 

Dean leaned against the doorframe. “Quit pissin’ Cass off, Gabe. Just tell us what happened.” 

“Well, ya see, Cassie, we got there and the whole damn place was lit up like a friggin’ Christmas tree. We couldn’t get close for a long time cuz Bobby was afraid we’d be spotted. So, we hid for what seemed like an eternity, and finally things started to calm down a little bit. Chuck worked some weirdo magic I’ve never even seen before and put the whole place to sleep. Then Bobby insisted we raid the place first like common thieves, so it took awhile to get everything out and somewhere safe. Then some of the Death Eaters woke up from their beauty sleep and we had a fight on our hands. That’s when things got  _ really  _ interesting.” Gabriel paused, eating some more chocolate.

“You gonna share with the class or are we supposed to use our imaginations?” Dean pushed off the wall and walked to the couch, sitting down. 

Castiel frowned at Gabriel. “Just tell us, Gabriel. Please.” 

“So the Death Eaters, right? Those yahoos snuck downstairs and brought up a  _ child.  _ We, of course, backed off, cuz we’re in the business of saving little tykes like that, not killing them. Turns out it wasn’t just a regular kid though, it was a damned Obscurial. One of the Death Eaters started muttering nonsense to the kid, and he went  _ nuts.  _ The Obscurus overtook this kid completely, I’d never seen anything like it. I thought we were goners for sure, but Newt here is apparently the Obscurial Whisperer.” He jerked his head towards Newt, and Cass frowned.

“But Newt was with Sam, wasn’t he?” Castiel asked, and he could  _ see  _ Dean tensing. 

“Well sure he was, at first. But when Chuck realized what we were dealing with, he sent his Patronus after Newt. Good ol’ Scamander showed up about six minutes later and ran after the Obscurus, which, by the friggen way, had completely overtaken the kid at this point. It was chaos, and not the fun kind. It was boomeranging all over the place, knocking whole buildings over. But Newt just walked right up to it, and I didn’t see exactly what he did because he was surrounded by swirling, batshit crazy darkness, but the next thing I knew the kid was gone and the Obscurus was in this magical bubble thing and Newt was disappearing with it. That’s the second half of what took us so long. Chuck refused to let any of us come back until we found Newt.” 

“Wait a damn minute, you’re tellin’ me Newt was gone this whole time? Where the fuck was I?” Dean sounded disbelieving, and even a little angry.

Castiel cleared his throat. “You were gone for part of that too, Dean. Remember? You and Sirius went on a supply run. And when you’ve been  _ here,  _ we’ve been…” 

“Busy.” Dean said quickly. “Yeah, yeah you’re right. Moving on.” 

Cass blushed and looked back to Gabriel, who was giving them a grossed out expression. 

“We found Newt yesterday, and he was trying to reason with the Obscurus. You believe that shit?  _ Reason  _ with it. You’re more likely to convince Dean that bacon and cheeseburgers aren’t a good combination. So, moral of the story is that Newt has a few screws loose and we’ve got an Obscurus trapped in a magic bubble in the basement.” Gabriel finished with a nod and polished off the last of the chocolate. “Deano, can I borrow your wheels for a bit? Need to make a supply run.” 

Dean shook his head vigorously. “Nope, you’re not touchin’ Baby with your gross ass little fingers, that car’s worth more than your life and she’s the only thing I’ve got left of my dad. Besides, we just did that, didn’t you hear Cass?” 

Gabriel gave him a cheesy smile. “Yeah, but you guys always skimp out on the good stuff. But fine, fine… I’ll take that fancy cloak thing and be back in a flash.” He stood, disappearing out of the room.

Castiel turned to Dean, speaking quietly. “You really think all of that is true?” 

He shrugged. “It’s easy enough to find out. Let’s go see if there’s a… whatever the hell he said downstairs.” Dean stood up and walked towards the stairs, and Cass reluctantly followed him. 

Castiel could feel it before he could see it. It wasn’t like Dementors, who left their victims feeling nothing but emptiness and despair. This thing, whatever it was, was the embodiment of chaos and emotional turmoil. He descended the last of the stairs and rounded the corner behind Dean. Newt came into focus, and he was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of something Cass could only describe as a bubble filled with a hurricane of darkness. He sucked in a breath and reached for Dean’s hand, who took it quickly. 

“Umm… Newt?” Castiel spoke tentatively, taking a half-step forward. “What - what are you doing?” 

“He’s misunderstood, Castiel. He is - or was, anyway, just a boy. I’m trying to remind him of who he is.” Newt didn’t turn; he didn’t take his eyes off the hurricane at all. “He’s in pain. Obscurial are created when children are forced to suppress magic, often through abuse. He needs help.” 

Castiel dropped Dean’s hand and took another step closer, his eyes taking in the sight. “Do you believe the child is still alive, then?” 

Newt sighed quietly. “It’s difficult to say. He was already in this form when I rescued him. Whether or not the poor boy’s body will survive such a dramatic transformation is… I don’t know. I won’t know anything until I can get the Obscurus to calm down. Speaking of which, please don’t take this harshly, Castiel, but I need you and Dean to leave. Your presence is making it worse.” 

Dean looked at Cass and then back at Newt and the swirling black mess in the bubble. He took Cass’s hand again and pulled him upstairs. When they were safely a floor away, Dean turned to Cass. “Look, I knew the guy had a thing for magical creatures, but don’t you think this is a little over the top?”

“Dean, think of how easily that could have been you. Would you want me or Newt to just… give up and let you stay like that forever, lost, confused and afraid, literally destroying everything in your path because you’re in too much pain to deal with it in your own body?” Cass took both of Dean’s hands and met his eyes. “Newt is right, Dean. We vowed to fight this war to save the children affected by Voldemort. That includes  _ all  _ of them.” 

His words seemed to hit a little too close to home for a moment, but Dean ultimately nodded and leaned in to lightly kiss him. “Okay, Cass. You win. We save them all.” 


	32. Long Black Road

_ **Dean** _

The next couple of weeks were full of readjustments. Newt had taken the Obscurus to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade because it was starting to freak people out, and the others had been doing checks on the rest of Team Free Will. That left just Cass, Dean, and Sam at the Winchesters’ house, which was a welcome change. It wasn’t that Dean didn’t enjoy having everyone else around, but after everything they’d been through the last couple of years, Dean certainly wasn’t going to say no to some spare time with the people that mattered most to him. 

They’d gone out on a supply run that had taken a bit longer than Dean had planned. There were complications that couldn’t be avoided, and they were all tired and hungry when they got back to the house. Except… there wasn’t a house. Not anymore. Dean stopped in his tracks when he saw the twisted metal and ashen remains of the house he grew up in, and the snake-and-skull Dark Mark shimmering ominously in the sky above it. This was the house that had been their shelter. Cass grabbed his arm and held his hand as Dean looked to Sam, whose face mirrored the pain and sadness on his own.

“D-Dean, what? How did this happen?” Sam’s eyes were wide and wet as he turned to Dean. 

“Voldemort did this.” Castiel squeezed Dean’s hand, and Dean opened his mouth to say something but only managed to make a broken, tiny noise. It took him several moments for his brain to fully catch on to what he was seeing, and when it did, he let go of Cass’s hand and ran towards the rubble. 

_ Sirius. Newt. Cato. Chuck. Cinna. Bodies, Dean. Look for bodies. For bo… for bones. They were due back yesterday. The Dark Mark usually means death.  _ He frantically dug through the charred remains, and each minute that he came up empty, he relaxed a little further. He found almost nothing salvageable, but there was also nothing that suggested that there were people inside when Voldemort attacked. He pulled out his wand and took several deep, shuddering breaths before sending out his phoenix Patronus to search for Sirius and the others. It flew off into the night, and moments later, Cass’s angel and Sam’s sparrowhawk followed it. 

He blinked back tears as he approached the others. “We need to find a new place to live.” 

“Do you - do you think that Chuck or Cinna would know of a place?” Cass took Dean’s hand again and looked between them, and Dean squeezed it gratefully. 

“I don’t know. Maybe? We’ll have a better shot with them than anyone else, but for now, we gotta move.” Dean grabbed Sam’s shoulder and turned him away from the house, then used his grip on both of them to Apparate to the Shrieking Shack, hoping to find Newt. 

Luckily for them, Newt was there with the Obscurus. Dean could tell Newt knew something was wrong the minute they landed. He stood up abruptly and ran over to them. “Dean? Sam… Cass? What happened to you? Why are you here?” 

Dean dropped his grip on Sam and Cass and cleared his throat. “House is gone. Dark Mark. I’m guessin’ Voldemort finally got revenge, and honestly… I’m just thrilled no one was there.” Dean walked over to the Obscurus and sat down in front of it. He was looking at it in a whole new light - where he once saw something to be afraid of, he now saw something he could absolutely understand. “Trauma really fucks people up, y’know? I mean, at any given time, how close are any of us to becoming one of these?” 

Newt came and stood behind him. “ _ That  _ is a very different kind of trauma, Dean. It’s not one you’re unfamiliar with, but this happened because this boy was taught to hate himself and internalize his magic from a very young age. That kind of pent up energy mixed with such negative emotions creates what you see here.” He paused for a moment. “I’m sorry about your home, Dean. Why didn’t the protective enchantments work?” 

Dean let out a breath. “Because there was no one there to hold ‘em up. When we left, the spells must’ve dropped. To be honest, Voldemort was probably waiting for the place to be empty so he could strike. There’s nothin’ left, man. Everything we’ve got, it’s gone.”

Cass turned to Dean with a single tear running down his cheek. He wiped it away quickly and walked over to them, taking Dean’s hand again. “Now what?”

Dean stayed silent for a moment as he stared at the swirling, dark hurricane that was the Obscurus. He saw himself in that chaos, and a part of him wanted to just… quit. To throw in the towel and admit defeat before they lost anyone or anything else. Or, at the very least, he wanted to take a backseat to this war and let someone else drive. He was tired in a hundred ways, but he knew that if he gave up, everyone else would, too.  _ See it through.  _ “We find a new place to set up, and we change our patterns. At least two people stay at base at all times to hold the shields, and we stagger our supply runs and our attacks. We just… we gotta stay five steps ahead of him.” 

Cass nodded and squeezed Dean’s hand. “I suppose that’s the only thing we  _ can  _ do. Perhaps we should speak with Chuck.”

“We sent the patronuses out, there isn’t much else we can do until they come back.” Sam had his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall, eyeing the Obscurus. 

“What about Newt’s? Couldn’t we send his, too?” Cass asked. 

Newt shook his head. “Mine wouldn’t be able to do anything that yours couldn’t. Not to mention it’s quite large and would attract a great deal of unwanted attention.” 

Dean looked up at him, frowning. “You wouldn’t do it back at the holding center, either. What is it, anyway?” 

Newt simply smiled. “Don’t worry about it, Dean. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” 

“Yeah? Try me.” Dean pressed, pushing himself up off the ground and wiping his hands on his jeans. 

“Not now. You’ll see it… eventually, if this war keeps going the way that it is.” Newt looked over Dean’s shoulder and he turned to see the three patronuses flying back to them, and moments later the others began Apparating into the Shrieking Shack around them. 

Cass sucked in a breath, watching the others appear. “The house, guys. It’s no longer standing.”

Chuck nodded. “The phoenix delivered that message. I’m… I’m so sorry, guys. What can I do? Is it something we can fix?” 

“No. I mean, maybe… but that’s an  _ awful  _ lot of spellwork and we don’t have that kinda time. We gotta find somewhere else to bunker down and ride this out. And I’m done wastin’ time, we hit him and we hit him hard. You guys still with me on this?” Dean licked the corner of his mouth and looked at each of them in turn as they nodded. 

Cato stepped forward. “For one dumbass reason or another, I’ve been with you from day one, Winchester. Let’s light ‘em up.” 

Cass nodded to Cato and then looked back to Dean. “We’re all with you, Dean. Every single one of us. We’re stronger together.”

“Yeah, angel.” He took a deep breath. “Stronger together.” 

**_Castiel_ **

It didn’t take long to move into their new safehouse, seeing as how they no longer had possessions. Everything that wasn’t on them at the time of the attack was lost. They’d spent the next couple of weeks moving into Sirius’s old house and going on supply runs when they could just to replenish the basic necessities. True to Dean’s plan, the house was never empty. There were always at least two people present, and while that was ensuring that no more attacks would come their way… Cass was rather put out that he and Dean were getting separated more often than not these days. Dean, Cato and Sam were almost constantly gone, and Cass would go days at a time with only visits from Dean’s phoenix patronus to even let him know Dean was still alive at all. 

He paced the halls of the house he’d been taken to after he escaped Purgatory, his mind going back to that day.  _ I should have never made it out. If I’d have just stayed in Purgatory with Dean, would this have happened? Would Sirius’s parents, Dean’s parents, Aunt Naomi… all of the others… would they be alive? Would Voldemort have let them live?  _

“You’re troubled, Castiel.” Cinna leaned against the doorway and Cass turned to him, surprised to see him there. 

“Yes, I… it’s hard not to be.” He nodded and cast his eyes down.

Cinna watched him for a long moment. “This is war, Castiel. We knew the risks when we signed up. Just like you knew the risks when you sacrificed yourself for Charlie Bradbury. You thought you were giving your life for her, and you didn’t think twice. Why?” 

“Because she didn’t deserve to die. Because it wasn’t fair.” Castiel’s eyebrows pinched together as if this was the most obvious answer in the world.

“And you did? Why would you deserve to die, when she didn’t?” Cinna took a step closer to him. 

Cass was suddenly defensive. “I didn’t deserve to die either, but  _ somebody  _ needed to do something.” 

Cinna just smiled at him. “Welcome back to the war, Castiel. We are doing this for the very same reason that you volunteered. Because no one deserves to die because they weren’t born with pure blood. No child should be told they aren’t good enough. No adult should have to deny themselves a family simply because their child will be hunted by a jackass.” He came even closer to Castiel. “Somebody needed to do something, and that somebody is you, and Dean, and Sam, and me and Chuck and all the others. The ones we lost will never truly be gone, as long as we see this through and make sure that their sacrifices  _ meant  _ something. Do you understand?” 

Castiel nodded slowly as he looked at Cinna. He chewed on his lip and flicked his eyes between Cinna’s. “Yes, I understand.”

“Of course you do.” Cinna reached up and brushed his thumb across Cass’s cheek slowly. “I’ve never met anyone like you. Nobody else could have pulled off what you did in Purgatory. Nobody else could have fooled Voldemort like that and engineered a full-fledged escape. You’re incredible, Castiel.” 

Cass tried to hide the shiver that crept down his spine, taking a deep breath. “Right, uh, thank you.” His stomach was doing flips and he closed his eyes to try and calm himself down.

Cinna’s eyes flicked to Cass’s mouth and he dropped his hand. “It’s about time you learned to take a compliment.” 

Cass opened his eyes, taking a step back from Cinna. For some reason it only registered now in Castiel’s brain that they were standing incredibly close. “I suppose it is.”

The door opened behind Cass and he heard several sets of heavy boots hitting the ground. The sounds stopped suddenly, replaced with Dean’s voice. “Uhh… ‘M I interrupting something?” 

Cass turned quickly and shook his head, moving over to Dean. “No, nothing at all. Come on, we should go… somewhere else.”

Dean eyed him and then looked at Cinna. “Yeah, whatever man. We got what we need to grab Dolohov and that other douche Death Eater he runs with, we move in two days.” He looked back at Cass and nodded. “Where we goin’?” 

“Somewhere else. I miss you, Dean.” He pulled Dean away with him without a single glance back at Cinna. 

He scoffed, but let Cass pull him. “You sure about that, angel? Looked like you and Kravitz over there were gettin’ along just fine without me.” 

He squeezed Dean’s hand and nodded. “Yes, Dean. I’m positive, alright?” 

Dean stopped suddenly and turned Cass to face him. “Then I missed you, too.” He put his hands on Cass’s face and kissed him hard, his tongue immediately pressing for entrance as he started pushing Cass backwards towards the bedroom door. 

Cass let Dean walk him backwards, kissing him back. He opened the door and pulled Dean into the room with him, biting his bottom lip. 

Dean kicked the door shut behind him and backed Cass up to the bed, falling on top of him and biting down his neck. “If Cinna ever gets that close do you again…” he bit down hard on Cass’s shoulder, his hands fisting in the collar of his shirt. “I’ll kick his fucking ass.” He gripped the collar tighter and the fabric split open as Dean ripped Cass’s shirt all the way down. “You got that, angel?”

Cass whined quietly, tilting his head to the side. He gasped at the bite on his shoulder, nodding. “Y-yes, Dean. I understand.” He shuddered hard and was having a battle with himself in his head because he  _ almost _ let something happen between him and Cinna. He isn’t sure he wouldn’t have, had Cinna not dropped his hand. 

Dean nodded against his shoulder, then kissed a line down his now-exposed skin. “Good.”

Cass shivered and pulled Dean’s face back to his, kissing him again. He bent his knee to fit between Dean’s, tugging on the bottom of Dean’s shirt. “Take it off.” Dean bit Cass’s bottom lip and then released it as he pulled back to slowly take his shirt off. He tossed it on the ground next to the bed and dropped back down to kiss him again. Cass ran his hands up Dean’s chest, dragging his nails down the sides of his arms. He slid his hands down more and to the front of Dean, working on his belt.

A knock sounded at the door. Dean lifted his head up as Cass continued to undo his belt and he looked towards the door. “What?!” 

It was Sam that spoke from the other side of the door. “Dean, look man, I know you guys are busy, but… Cato just took off. He said he was going after Dolohov, and…” 

“That dumb son of a bitch.” Dean dropped his head to Cass’s shoulder and let out a shuddering breath, muttering, “Angel, if you only knew how fuckin’ hard I am right now… shit. I gotta go. He’s gonna get himself killed.” 

Castiel closed his eyes and pulled his hands off of Dean’s belt, nodding with a soft whimper and a frown. “Go save him.”

**_Dean:_ **

Dean finally caught up to Cato about an hour later, and he was beyond irritated. “Dude, what the fuck, man? We had this whole thing mapped out, and you’re just goin’ rogue?” 

Cato pushed him. “Back off, Winchester. I’m not gonna sit around while you fuck your boyfriend for two straight days when we could be out  _ doing  _ something to end this war.”

“First of all, nobody said that’s why we were taking a break. We’ve been runnin’ nonstop for  _ weeks,  _ Cato. You, me, Sam… we barely have time to fuckin’ eat anymore cuz you’ve got us constantly running after  _ somebody.  _ And yeah, I missed Cass. Sue me.” Dean pushed Cato right back, his frustration level mounting quickly. 

Cato shook his head quickly. “No, Winchester, you don’t get it, do you? If we stop, that evil bastard is just gonna keep hitting us and we’ll never have the  _ time _ to retaliate. So, go, fuck Cass and leave me here. I’ll deal with it, it’s not a big deal. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re gonna get yourself fuckin’  _ killed,  _ you idiot!” Cato tried to walk away and Dean grabbed his sleeve, yanking him back. “You don’t get to go on fuckin’ suicide missions, you got that?” 

Cato clenched his jaw, looking to the ground. Dean could tell Cato was thoroughly annoyed as he turned slowly. “Tell me, Winchester, the hell do I have to live for anymore? I’m gonna die anyways, so it might as well be for something.”

“Look, I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, alright?” It came out as more of a bark than anything, but Dean was tired of people giving up. “Quit being a fucking moron and stick to the goddamn plan. What about Sarah, huh? What about her? You all of a sudden decide she doesn’t matter to you?” 

Cato glared at him, clenching his jaw even more. “I haven’t seen her in God knows how long, Dean. I don’t get the luxury of going home to her everyday like you do with Cass. She probably hates me and I hope she’s moved on. I never deserved her, she always deserved so much more than me. So no, she matters a hell of a lot to me, but I’m not gonna drag her into this.”

Dean let out a breath, some of his frustration ebbing. “Yeah, well. Don’t get too jealous, I might not have Cass for much longer either.” He looked around them and they were in some sort of a park. He sat down on a bench just a few feet from them and put his elbows on his knees. 

Cato squinted at Dean, crossing his arms. “What are you talking about?”

He looked up at him and scrunched up his face. “When we got back tonight, him and Cinna were… closer than two people should be if there’s nothin’ going on, y’know? And then Cass pulled me into the bedroom like he was already ready to go.” He shook his head. “I dunno, man. I knew Cass always had a crush on him, and Cinna’s always been a little flirty, but… like I said… you, me, and Sammy have been gone quite a bit lately.” 

Cato snorted, watching Dean. “You really think Cass would cheat on you? You’re fuckin’ insane, Winchester. Castiel’s been head over heels for you since day one. You’re worried about nothin’.”

“You didn’t see him, Cato. He was lookin’ at Cinna like he looks at me, and that’s  _ not  _ nothin.’ Point is, nothing is certain anymore, alright? Nothing is perfect, and it ain’t gonna be perfect until we end this. But it won’t happen if you’re constantly runnin’ around half-cocked and not following the plan.” He stood up again. “Nobody hates to say this more than me, but I need you to  _ not  _ die. You’re one of the only ones around here not afraid to get your hands dirty with this shit.” 

Cato eyed Dean, nodding once. “Promise me, Winchester. When we end this — you marry Cass and you help me find my way back to Sarah, if they don’t kill her before then.”

“Then let’s go get her. Bring her back to base. Then maybe you’ll have a reason to come home every now and again and can quit bitchin’ at me for wanting to get laid.” He grinned at Cato. “But first… since we’re here… let’s just finish the damn job.” 

Dean followed Cato as they approached the house where Dolohov and his sidekick were. He’d opted for his 1911 this time instead of his wand, and Cato had done the same. At the end of the day, this wasn’t a kidnapping mission. It was a hit, and Dean knew it. The Death Eaters only had to be alive long enough for Cato and Dean to grab some of their hair, and technically, they didn’t even need to be alive for that. 

Cato was a killer, there was no doubt in Dean’s mind. And not for the first time, he found himself thankful that Cato was on his side and not against him. Dean had learned the hard way that they were both capable of murder under the right circumstances, and maybe even under the wrong ones, too. Dean and Cato split off as they approached the door to the dark house. Dean took the left side while Cato took the right, and they nodded to each other from either side of the door, their guns raised. Dean reached across the entrance and tested the knob. It was locked, but Cato pulled out his wand and unlocked it. Dean took a deep breath as he opened the door and it swung towards him as Cato ducked inside. Dean stayed close behind him and was thankful that his eyes adjusted quickly to the dim light, because his flashlight was back at base, as was his wand. He cocked his gun and winced slightly at the click. “Where are they?” Dean whispered to Cato. 

Cato raised a finger to his lips and gestured upward with the tip of his gun. Dean understood that Cato was implying Dolohov was in bed, and Dean’s stomach flipped unpleasantly.  _ That’s how that son of a bitch killed my parents.  _ He nodded, then turned and searched for the stairs. Cato was on his heels as he took them two at a time, keeping his steps as light as possible. His heart-rate increased as he rounded the corner and saw a long hallway of doors. He cursed under his breath and Cato stopped next to him, looking over. He tapped once on Dean’s arm, signaling caution. Dean nodded and stepped forward slowly, putting his hand on the first doorknob as Cato did the same to the door across the hall. They glanced at each other once and opened their doors at the same time.

Dean was braced to shoot, but there were no targets. He heard no shots or spellwork from Cato’s side of things, either, which he wasn’t sure how to feel about. He backed out of the room slowly and met Cato back in the hall. He mouthed, ‘nothing?’ and Cato shook his head, then gestured to the next set of doors. Once again, they took their places and opened their doors. This time, he heard shots from the other room before his eyes could even adjust to the deeper dark of this room. It took him several, precious seconds to realize this room was empty too. He darted back out of the hall as voices erupted from the last room on the left. Dean didn’t pause to see if Cato was okay, he dashed down to the end of the hall and kicked the door open. 

He watched as Dolohov drew his wand, and he squeezed his hand around the trigger. Once, twice, three shots in total, and Dolohov was on the floor. Dean fought back the nausea that usually accompanied murder as he kneeled next to his body and plucked several hairs from his head. “Cato, call out!” 

Dean could hear Cato shouting from just down the hall, before he appeared in the doorway. “Woah.”

Dean sighed in relief as he turned and stood up. “You good?” 

Cato nodded and looked from Dean to Dolohov, and then back to Dean. “Yeah, I’m fine, but are you?”

Dean smiled kind of awkwardly. “Not a scratch on me, man. You get the hair?” 

He nodded again. “I’ve got it. We should go before someone finds us.”

Dean held out his hand. “Yeah, alright. Gimme your wand, I left mine back at base.” 

Cato seemed hesitant for a moment, but eventually obliged and placed his wand in Dean’s hand. “Why didn’t you bring yours?”

“Because I kinda left in hurry, dickbag.” He glared at Cato, then pointed Cato’s wand at Dolohov’s body and sent it away. “We gotta do the same to the other one, maybe they won’t fuckin’ notice.” He cleaned up the blood on the floor and then headed out, checking the other rooms quickly before taking care of the other body. He met Cato back in the hallway again and handed him his wand. 

“Thanks.” Cato nodded, putting his wand back in his waistband. “You ready to get outta here?”

Dean nodded. “You wanna go get her now or wait till morning?” 

“What time is it?” Cato asked, looking out the window. “It’s dark as hell out there, man. Maybe we should wait.”

“You sure, man? I don’t mind that it’s late, we’re already out, y’know?” 

Cato chewed on his lip and shifted on his feet before giving a slight nod. “If you’re down, than yeah, let’s do it.”

Dean nodded, stepping towards Cato. “I can’t Apparate without my wand, you’re gonna have to take me.” 

He breathed out and looked at Dean. “Yeah, I can handle that. You ready?”

Dean nodded. “Yep. Beam me up, Scotty.” 

Cato put his hand on Dean’s arm and Apparated them out of there, landing them just outside Sarah’s house. When they landed, Cato eyed the front of the home. “Yeah, we’re here.”

He looked around. “Alright then, what are you waitin’ for? Go get your girl and let’s go home. I’ll watch your six, not that I think anyone is followin’ us right now.” 

Cato nodded to Dean and licked his lips quickly, approaching the front door. Dean followed behind him, close enough he’d be able to hear what they were saying to each other but not close enough to be considered creepy. Cato rang the doorbell and waited. A dog began barking from inside, and then the door opened.

Sarah stood there, shock written all over her face. She had blonde hair, blue eyes and was relatively tall. For a moment, no one moved or said anything. They just stared. Dean rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. “I think this is the part where you’re supposed to kiss.”

Cato didn’t acknowledge him but he did lean in and kiss Sarah before pulling back and wrapping his arms around her. Dean couldn’t really hear although he was standing close, but he was able to make out a few things such as ‘I missed you’ or ‘I’m so sorry.’ They hugged again and Dean rolled his eyes, but he was also smiling a little. Eventually they pulled apart and Dean cleared his throat once more. “You fell in love with a unicorn. It was beautiful, then sad, then sadder. I laughed, I cried, I puked in my mouth a little, but right now we gotta go. So if you two are done being all lovey-dovey, we gotta move.”

Cato took a moment to explain everything to Sarah in the quickest version he could come up with. Sarah shifted on her feet hesitantly. “But my parents, Cato. What am I supposed to tell them?”

“Just -- just don’t tell them anything. Come with me now and we can get all the stuff you need later on. Just come with me now,” Cato begged, watching her. “Please, Sarah.”

Dean scoffed, looking over his shoulder at them. “Dumbass, she’s gotta tell them  _ something  _ or they’re gonna go full scale fuckin’ Amber Alert on our asses.” 

Sarah looked at Dean, and he waved to her with a cheesy smile. “Hi, I’m Dean. I’m kinda impressed you’re a real girl and not a figment of Cato’s imagination, I  _ seriously  _ had my doubts there for a little bit. He’s right though, we gotta move - so tell your parents you’re going to a friends house for the rest of the summer, tell them you’re runnin’ away to join the damn circus - I don’t care, just tell them  _ something  _ believable and let’s get the hell back to base.” 

Sarah bit her lip and looked to Cato, nodding. “Give me five minutes and meet me out back.” She kissed him again and shut the door, and Dean waited until Cato turned back to him to fake gag. 

“Shut up, Winchester, you and Cass are fucking nauseating and I’ve had to deal with it for  _ years.”  _ He started walking around to the back of the house, and Dean followed with a chuckle. 

“Easy, tiger. Don’t eat me, it’s just not often I get to make fun of you for somethin’ other than… oh hell, the rest of your entire personality.” At Dean’s words, Cato reached around and punched his shoulder. Dean hissed and rubbed his arm, and the two fell silent as they waited around back for Sarah. 

About twenty minutes later, Dean was nearly asleep standing up as Sarah came out with a bag slung over her shoulder. He jerked alert again as Cato asked her if she was ready to go, and then Cato took the three of them back to base. Charlie met them in the entranceway and took Sarah upstairs to her room, and Cato turned back to Dean.

Dean held up his hand. “If you thank me, I might  _ actually  _ throw up on you.” 

Cato rolled his eyes at Dean. “I wasn’t goin’ to thank you anyways, you egotistical bitch.” He grinned a little and looked up the stairs Sarah had gone up. 

Dean grinned and followed his gaze. “Uh huh, you just remember whose idea this was when you’re gettin’ your dick wet later.” 

He licked his bottom lip and looked back to Dean. “Just, seriously for a minute, man… thanks. That’s all you’re getting but just… thanks.”

Dean face shrugged and clapped his shoulder. “Hey, you and me gotta look out for each other, right? We’re the only sons of bitches around here that seem to wanna do any of the… y’know. Anyway, you kids have fun, and for fuck’s sake use protection, man. No apocalypse babies, alright?” 

Cato nodded and chuckled a little. “Yeah, no apocalypse babies.” He moved to the stairs and climbed up them, disappearing into the room Charlie had taken Sarah to. 

Dean watched the stairs for a moment and then rolled his shoulder. He was tense and sore and more than eager to get back to Cass, but he couldn’t shake the lingering thoughts from earlier. He wondered if Cinna was still awake, but highly doubted it. If Charlie greeted them, it meant Cinna’s watch was over for the night. He shook his head slightly as he chewed on his lip and decided to save that conversation for another day. He walked to the room him and Cass shared and knocked quietly, then opened the door without waiting for a response. He shut the door behind him and shrugged his jacket off. “You awake, angel?” 

Cass stirred and nodded, stretching his arms out. “Yes, I’m awake. Are you okay?” He sat up and looked over at Dean, checking for injuries.

Dean nodded, pulling the stolen hair from his pocket and putting it on the dresser before sliding out of his jeans. “Yeah, all in all it was pretty straightforward. Once I found Cato we just decided to take care of it without Sammy, and then we made a pitstop and picked up Sarah - that muggle born chick he’s all head over heels for. They’re upstairs now, so I hope you’ve got your earplugs.” 

Cass chuckled and smiled a little, sliding over in the bed. “Yes, well, I imagine it’s been rough for them.”

Dean climbed into bed beside him and pulled him close. “Yeah, I bet. I also know the feeling.” He kissed Cass gently, his hand on his neck. 

Cass kissed him back, his hands finding the sides of Dean’s face, before dropping one hand to his shoulder. “You’re really tense, Dean. Are you sure you’re okay?”

He flicked his eyes between Cass’s.  _ No. I killed somebody else today.  _ “Yeah, angel. It’s just been a long ass day, y’know? I just want this war to be over so you and me can get matching Hawaiian shirts and sip mai tai’s on a beach somewhere.” 

“That’s the dream, Dean.” Cass rubbed his shoulder, keeping his eyes on Dean’s. “I’m sorry I can’t do more to help. I feel… useless. Like I’m just stuck here all day, while you and Cato and Sam are out doing things to  _ actually  _ help.”

“Cass, it ain’t just about what we do. You and Newt and the others do all the research, go on a majority of the supply runs, run recon, and keep the shields up so this place doesn’t burn to the ground like the last one did. You guys are every bit as big a part of this as we are, you just… don’t have to kill people.” He kissed Cass again, relaxing into the bed because at least now, he was safe and with Cass, and that was enough. 

Cass pulled Dean to him tighter, wrapping his arms around him. “Yes, I suppose. It just doesn’t feel that way, I guess.” He kissed Dean’s forehead, rubbing his back gently.

“I get it, Cass. I do. But trust me, you don’t want this shit. War is messy, it’s gross and it’s uncomfortable as hell. You had to do some questionable shit in Purgatory, so I know you aren’t a stranger to it, but… it makes  _ me  _ feel better that you don’t have to do it anymore.” He chewed the inside of his cheek and let out a breath.

Cass closed his eyes and matched the breath that Dean let out. “But what about you? I don’t like you being out there and having to do all that messed up stuff, just because I’m… weak, sensitive, call it whatever you choose to but… I don’t know. Never mind.”

“Angel, it ain’t like that, okay? Nobody here thinks you’re any of those things. Think about it - you survived Purgatory as long as I did. You got out. You fooled  _ Voldemort  _ for fuck’s sake, and you found a way to not only rally the others, but to break generations of tributes out of Purgatory using a portal in Voldemort’s  _ fucking house.  _ Nobody weak or sensitive coulda pulled that shit off, Cass. That was all you, and it was fuckin’ brilliant. Yeah, so I’ve got a gun, a wand, and apparently the stomach to watch the light leave someone’s eyes. That doesn’t make me any better or stronger than you.” 

Castiel was silent for a moment, and when he spoke there was almost a hint of anger. “I nearly died in Purgatory and the only reason I didn’t was because of you. I only got out of Purgatory because you made the potion and let me out. I was only able to pull off all that shit because it was a laid out plan in front of me and I knew I didn’t have a choice but to make something work and to figure something out.”

“That’s the thing though, angel. Right there. You just said it. You  _ knew  _ you didn’t have a choice, so you made it work. That’s all me and Cato and Sammy are doin’, is making something happen because we don’t have a damn choice. It’s just a different result is all, but I’m telling you - there isn’t a weak bone in your body, and not a single person here thinks there is.” He kissed Cass again, at this point almost desperate to quit talking because he just felt… raw. 

Cass didn’t answer him right away, instead he pulled Dean on top of him, placing his hands on Dean’s hips. “Okay, Dean.” He didn’t sound convinced at all, but it was obvious he didn’t want to talk anymore either. 

Dean kissed him harder, because he was becoming more convinced with every minute that passed that he was losing him, and he didn’t know what else to do at this point. Cass was good, he was  _ pure…  _ and it was becoming clearer with each mission and passing day that Dean was nothing but a grunt. A murderer. Why  _ wouldn’t  _ Cass choose Cinna, with his gorgeous complexion, gentle voice and shared love of the stars? It shouldn’t even be a contest. He laced their fingers on both hands and pinned them down to the bed, kissing a line down his jaw and neck. If he was gonna lose Cass, Dean was gonna take every single opportunity to bring himself a little bit of peace before all he had left was pain. 

Cass tilted his head to the side and whined quietly, bending his knee to fit between Dean’s legs. He squeezed Dean’s hands in his own, biting his lip. His eyes fluttered closed and he shifted beneath Dean, and Dean closed his eyes as he continued trailing kisses down Cass’s chest and stomach, because he couldn’t get the image of Cass and Cinna out of his head. He let go of Cass’s hands and kneeled between his legs, running his hands up and down his thighs. “You’re mine, right?” 

Castiel swallowed hard as he shivered, before nodding confidently. “Of course I am, Dean. There’s no one else I’d rather belong to.”

Dean nodded slightly, sliding Cass’s sweatpants and boxers down. “If you say so, angel.” He tugged on the fabric and then tossed the bundle to the floor, then picked up one of Cass’s legs and brought it to his shoulder. He bit his calf gently, trying to remind himself that if Cass really wanted Cinna, he’d  _ be  _ with Cinna. 

Castiel chewed on his lip and shuddered slightly. “You believe me, don’t you?”

_ No.  _ He nodded. “Course I do, Cass. Why would you lie to me about somethin’ like that?” He kissed over the hard muscles of his stomach and bit down gently.

Cass’s back arched off the mattress a little as he balled his fists in the sheets at his sides. He licked his lips quickly, letting out a shaky breath. “I wouldn’t, but you still don’t believe me. I can tell, Dean. We’ve been together a long,  _ long _ time.”

He sighed, dropping his forehead to Cass’s thigh. “I don’t know anything anymore, Cass. I’m like Jon fucking Snow, I know nothing. Can we just…” 

Cass gasped quietly as Dean’s hands roamed over him and he bit his lip, nodding. “We can, yes. I’m tired of getting interrupted.”


	33. You've Got Another Thing Comin'

**_Castiel:_ **

The next several weeks went by, and absolutely nothing got better. Dean was being short with him, Cinna had taken to standing entirely too close to him, and they continued to lose allies. They were seated in the sitting room of the Black’s house attempting to finalize their next plan, which was retaking Azkaban prison. They had been kidnapping and stealing the hair of Death Eaters for quite some time now, and Dean was pretty sure they had almost everything they needed in order to pull it off.

“We’re gonna need more boomslang skin. Chuck sent word from the school that they’ve got some, we just need to go get it. We can’t move on this until we’ve got enough polyjuice potion for all of us. Any takers?” Dean looked around with his hands in his pockets. “This is just a quick trip to Hogwarts.” 

Cass stood up. Going to Hogwarts sounded better than staying there, anyway. “I’ll go, Dean. I can take Newt with me.” He looked at Newt, who nodded and stood as well. 

“It would make more sense if I went,” Cinna began, causing Castiel’s stomach to flip uncomfortably. “I know my way around that castle better than any of you, I know all the best ways to sneak in.” 

“We don’t need to sneak in if Chuck knows we’re coming.” Cass shook his head, not wanting this to get any worse.

Cato spoke up. “That’s not true, that paranoid bastard will have enchantments up all over that damn castle. Stuff the students would never be prepared for, right, Cinna?” 

Cinna nodded. “Cato’s right. We’ll have to get around the protective enchantments in order to even get in.” 

Dean pushed off the wall. “The three of you can handle this. Just make it quick, alright? We gotta finish up this potion and get moving, I want this done quickly. The faster we retake Azkaban for the good guys, the sooner we can move on to the Ministry and end this shit once and for all.” 

Cass blinked. He really hadn’t expected Dean to be okay with Cinna going, in fact - he’d been counting on it. He stuttered for a moment but then nodded. “Okay, Dean. We’ll be quick.” He looked to Newt and Cinna and walked towards them. “We should go to Hogsmeade, then. We can head up to the castle that way.” 

“That sounds like a good idea. Are we ready?” Cinna asked. 

Dean walked over and kissed Cass briefly. “Be careful, angel.” Cass reached out for him, but Dean was already walking away. He frowned slightly. “Yes, I’m ready.” 

Newt and Cinna walked to him and the three of them Disapparated, landing in Hogsmeade just outside of the Three Broomsticks. Once they landed, Newt looked around in the darkness and then grinned. “I could really use a butterbeer right now.”

Cass rolled his eyes. “Priorities, Newt.”

Newt frowned but nodded anyways. “Right, right. Sorry. There’s that tunnel inside The Three Broomsticks that connects it to Hogwarts, we could take that and stay out of people’s sights.” 

Cinna clicked his tongue and nodded. “Yes, well, I’m also a Professor, we could just walk in.” 

Cass nodded. “Cinna’s idea sounds easier and quicker, let’s just do it.”

Cinna grinned at Cass and nodded. “Thank you, Castiel.” Cinna turned and led them towards the castle. 

They were halfway there when Cass heard a grunt behind him. He whirled quickly, his eyes darting around and searching for the source of the noise. He whispered, “Newt?” 

No answer came, but this time Cass heard a yelp - again from behind him. His pulse quickened and he spun around again, but only darkness met him. “Cinna? Newt?” 

Two frantic heartbeats later, Cass was hit over the back of the head and everything went black. 

\-------------------------------

He woke up slowly, becoming immediately aware of a sharp, stabbing pain in the back of his head. He reached a hand up to rub the spot, and there was blood on his hand when he pulled it back. He winced and tried to stand, but he was dizzy. He sat down again and leaned forward, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes and rubbing. 

“Castiel, is that you?” Cass’s panic level spiked until he realized it was Newt. His vision cleared and he shot to his feet. 

“Newt? Where are you? I can’t - I can’t see anything.” He extended his hand in front of him and took a blind step forward. He saw the tip of a wand light up in his peripheral vision. His head snapped in that direction, but he audibly sighed with relief when he saw it was Cinna. He walked toward him and Newt joined quickly. 

“Where the bloody hell are we?” Newt asked. 

Cinna pointed his illuminated wand throughout the room. “I don’t know. Do either of you remember what happened?” 

Cass shook his head. “I heard you both, and then I was hit over the head with something. The next thing I knew, I was here.” 

Cinna turned towards Cass with his illuminated wand. “You’re bleeding, Castiel.”

Cass nods. “Yes, I know. You are, too.”

Cinna glanced between Newt and Cass and healed them both, before healing himself. They both thanked him and were silent for a moment, taking in their surroundings.

“It has to be Voldemort, right? Whoever it was… they were waiting for us.” Newt spoke after a while and wrapped his arms around himself as he leaned against a support beam. 

Cass shuddered because  _ how could such an easy mission go so wrong?  _ “Yeah, yeah. I’m willing to bet Voldemort is behind this too.”

Cinna let out a breath. “We need to get out of here.” He walked forward and ran his hand along the wall, looking for an exit. “There has to be a door here somewhere, right? They got us in here, after all.” 

“Maybe they Apparated us, Cinna,” Newt suggested, looking around the darkness. “I don’t really think doors matter to Voldemort.”

“No, you’re probably right. But if they Apparated us in, why can’t we Disapparate out? I tried already.” Cinna seemed to give up on his mission to find a door and walked back over to them. “And if this was Voldemort, why are we still alive?” 

“To lure out the others. He knows the others will come looking for us when we don’t return and he knows that’s the only chance he’ll have to strike.” Castiel rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hand. 

Newt shook his head slowly. “But how will they even know where to start, Castiel? They’re also supposed to leave for Azkaban tomorrow, do you really think they’ll come?” 

“I want to believe they’ll come.” Cass nodded and looked to Newt. “We’re stuck, there must be a magic block or something.”

“Okay, so we unblock it, right?” Cinna turned and started muttering a series of spells with his wand slowly drifting over the room. 

Cass watched and waited, but of course nothing changed. They were still stuck, and Cass’s stomach dropped to his feet.  _ What if Dean doesn’t come? Or worse, what if he does and it’s a trap?  _ He chewed on his lip and paced slowly. “Getting ourselves out doesn’t seem to be an option. They can’t leave us here forever though, right? They have to come down here eventually. And when they do… we strike, and we escape.” 

Newt looked at Cass like he was insane, and maybe he was. “Castiel, attacking them will just give them a reason to kill us.”

“I don’t agree. I think Castiel is right, if they were going to kill us, they would have done it already. They need us alive for some reason, and I say we exploit that. If and when someone comes down here, we do whatever we have to in order to get out,” Cinna said. 

Cass nodded and sat down on the floor with his wand gripped firmly in his hand. “I’ll just… wait here, then.” 

And wait, he did. And wait, and wait, and wait. He counted seconds, then minutes, then hours… until he finally gave up. Newt was snoring on the ground across the room, and Cinna was sitting up against the opposite wall and looking up at the ceiling. 

“What are you doing?” Cass wasn’t overly curious, he just couldn’t stand the silence anymore. 

“I’m trying to imagine what the sky looks like right now. If it’s cloudy, or clear - which constellations we’re under.” Cinna let out a sigh. 

Castiel furrowed his eyebrows, but nodded. He looked up at the ceiling as well. “I don’t think it’s past eight, yet.”

Cinna lowered his head to look at Cass. “Does it matter? It’s unlikely we’ll see the sky again anyway.” 

Cass looked back down and fell silent. 

“Do you think the others know we’re missing yet?” Cinna pushed himself to his feet and stretched for a moment, and then began pacing the room. 

Cass nodded again. “I do, yes. Dean will know something’s wrong, he said how simple this mission should’ve been himself. He’ll realize that we haven’t returned and they’ll come looking for us.”

Whatever Cinna was about to say was cut off by the abrupt arrival of two Death Eaters. One, to Castiel’s surprise and mild horror, was Caesar Flickerman. Flickerman chuckled darkly as he illuminated the room around them, making both Castiel and Cinna flinch from the sudden light. “Welcome to the party.” 

“This is a terrible party,” Cass deadpanned. “Where are we?”

“Somewhere your pain-in-the-ass boyfriend won’t be able to find us.” Flickerman sneered.

Castiel stood up, gripping his wand. “What do you want with us?”

Flickerman laughed loudly. “Oh, you naive boy. It’s not  _ you  _ we wanted, it’s  _ him.”  _ Flickerman pointed to Newt’s sleeping form, and Cinna stepped in front of him protectively. 

“Why?” Castiel demanded, narrowing his eyes. “What do you want with Newt?”

“Don’t think of it as what we want  _ with  _ him, it’s what we want from his  _ absence.  _ You and the stargazer here were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not unlike your Aunt Naomi, Castiel.” Flickerman’s eyes danced and the Death Eater he’d Apparated in with chortled. 

Castiel swallowed hard. “Shut up and get to the point.”

“You never did appreciate a well-told story, did you? You see, Mr. Scamander here was the only thing stopping that Obscurus from devouring anything and every _ one  _ in its path. With him safely tucked away, it’s a matter of hours before Winchester and all of the other mudblood little shits are destroyed.” The only way to describe the emotion on Flickerman’s face at that point was to call it what it was - joy. 

“You’re one sick person, you know that? Getting joy from killing a bunch of innocent kids. I wonder what the Ministry of Magic would say if they knew you were killing simply for fun now.” Castiel narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms. 

“Lord Voldemort runs the Ministry. They’ll give me a promotion for this. I’m finally going to make up for my… previous errors. Once you three and the others are wiped off the map, I’ll be welcomed back into the fold - and there isn’t a damn thing you or anyone else can do about it now but sit back and watch.” 

Cass snorted and looked away from him. “Why did you come here now, then?”

Flickerman jerked his head to the Death Eater beside him. “He didn’t believe I pulled it off. I thought I’d prove him wrong  _ and  _ have a little fun.” With a flick of Flickerman’s wand, he disarmed all three of them. Cinna snatched at the air in front of him and tried to catch his wand before it landed in Flickerman’s hand, but he wasn’t quick enough. “Now, should we leave it there? It will be quite dark without your wands, and I imagine you’ll all be getting quite thirsty soon.” He glanced at the other Death Eater, and Cass finally recognized him as Severus Snape, one of the Death Eaters that had been present during the training for the Games. “Or, perhaps we should kick things up a notch and make this a  _ real  _ party.”

“Where’s Crane?” Cinna looked between them. 

“He’s dead. The Dark Lord saw fit to put him out of his misery after he allowed himself to be kidnapped by a bunch of school children.” Snape turned up his nose at them. “Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing him again soon enough.”

“You won’t kill us. Not yet, anyways. You’re waiting for the others to show up and rescue us, aren’t you?” Castiel scoffed. 

“My dear boy, have you been paying attention  _ at all?  _ They won’t come, you’re completely hidden. I don’t need them to show up, because without Newt there, the Obscurus will take care of the rest. I --” He abruptly cut himself off. “You’re even denser than I remembered.” 

Castiel shook his head. “Newt’s cured the Obscurus enough, it won’t hurt anyone.”

Snape sneered. “Are you  _ sure?”  _

Castiel looked to Newt’s sleeping body, and then back to Flickerman. “Yes.”

Flickerman tugged the corners of his mouth down in a sarcastic frown. “Oh, what a shame. How silly of me not to have a Plan B. Oh wait… I do. Ta-ta.” Flickerman winked, and then he and Snape Disapparated out of the room, casting them into total darkness. 

Cass let out a deep breath and closed his eyes, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. “I hate him.”

Cinna looked at Castiel. “You know that Newt wasn’t anywhere near curing that Obscurus, right?” 

“I know that,” Cass snapped, looking in the direction of Cinna’s voice. “Of course I know that.”

Cinna was silent for a moment. “I’m simply saying that perhaps  _ we  _ are the ones that need to rescue  _ them.”  _

“How?” Castiel swallowed.

Castiel heard footsteps, and then felt Cinna’s hand on his own, pulling him up. “Castiel, you and I have already done the impossible. We got you out of Purgatory. Yes, Dean was a tremendous help, but it was my map and your mind that led you to the portal. If we can accomplish that, we can manage to get out of a room.” 

“In the complete darkness with no magic?” he shook his head. “I’m doubting our abilities, Cinna.”

“Don’t. Did you know that wandless magic is possible? Actually, it’s not only possible, there are some cultures that don’t use wands at all.” Cinna’s breath ghosted over his skin as he spoke, and his hand was still lightly holding Castiel’s. 

Cass shivered, closing his eyes. “Is that so?”

“Yes, it is. I’ve had some success myself, but Castiel - I know you can do it. You don’t need a wand, you are strong enough on your own that you should be able to cast a spell without it.” Cinna’s voice was quiet, so much so that it was barely audible over Newt’s continued snoring, despite their closeness. 

“What spell would that be?” He stepped away from Cinna a little, not obvious enough for him to notice. 

“ _ Accio.”  _ Cass heard a quiet rustling, and he assumed Cinna was turning in place. “We’re in a house of sorts, the walls are wooden. If you could concentrate enough to summon something large, I believe it would break through one of the walls and give us a means to escape. Then, if you could manage the spell again, we could reclaim our wands and Disapparate.” The rustling stopped, but Cinna had somehow used the movement to edge closer to him. 

Cass nodded, looking to Cinna. “Alright, then. What could I summon?”

Cinna sighed quietly. “Perhaps a table, or a dresser. Something large enough to create a human-sized hole in the wall.” 

“Do you really think I can do it?” Cass’s voice was quiet. 

“I do, Castiel. I think you can do anything.” Cinna reached a hand up and placed it on Castiel’s face, and his pulse quickened. 

“Cinna, I — what are you…?” Cass’s heart was thumping insanely in his chest, and he tried to force himself to move back, but his feet wouldn’t budge.

“Say the word, Castiel. Say the word and I’ll stop, I swear. I would never want to disrespect you or Dean, but...” Cinna’s voice was like velvet over Cass’s ears, and it took him a fraction of a second too long to answer. Cinna’s lips gently brushed against his, and he gasped quietly.  _ Dean. This isn’t Dean.  _ Cass put his hand on Cinna’s chest and pushed him back. 

“Stop.” 

Silence followed and seemed to drag on in the utter blackness of the room, the quiet broken only by their slightly quickened breathing and Newt’s low snores. Cinna spoke quietly. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

Cass swallowed hard and nodded, though the movement went unnoticed. “I’m - I’m sorry, Cinna. You - you’re amazing, but I…” He trailed off and clenched his jaw slightly. “I love Dean. I have always loved Dean and I will always love Dean. Please understand this.” 

Cinna squeezed his arm and then took a few scuffling steps back. “I do, Castiel. I understand. You can’t blame a guy for trying.” 

_ Actually, I can.  _ Castiel closed his eyes, focusing all of his concentration on summoning something large enough to break through the wall.  __ “ _ Accio dresser!”  _ Absolutely nothing happened. Cass opened his eyes and looked around in the darkness, listening for any sign that it had worked. 

“Try again. You can do this, Castiel.” Cass licked his lip and nodded at Cinna’s words, then once again closed his eyes.  _ “Accio dresser!”  _

A heartbeat later, a loud thud was heard to Castiel’s left, just on the other side of Newt. Newt jerked awake and sprang to his feet, his arms stretched out in front of him defensively. “What the bloody hell was that?!” 

“It was a dresser, Newt. Everything’s fine.” He looked to Cinna. “These walls seem to be impenetrable.”

**_Dean_ **

Dean was pacing in Sirius’s living room and biting the skin around his thumbnail when Sam walked in. “They should have been back by now.” 

“Yeah, dude, I know that. This shoulda taken like two hours tops and they’ve been gone for a day and a half.” Dean turned towards Sam. “You think it’s time to call Chuck?” 

Sam nodded. “I sent my patronus out an hour ago. I haven’t heard anything back yet, but hopefully they just got caught up at Hogwarts talking to the professors.”

“And what, just decided not to tell us? No way, man. Cass wouldn’t do something like that, not after everything. There’s no chance he just disappears without letting me know he’s okay.” Dean let out a breath and sat down on the edge of the couch. “I don’t even know where to look.” 

“Hogwarts is huge, Dean. Neither do I, but Chuck - Chuck would know where to start. We can round up the others and send out a search party?” Sam suggested, sitting down beside Dean.

“But search where? Did they even make it to Hogwarts? Do we start in Hogsmeade? If Voldemort found them, they could be anywhere.” Dean stood again, unable to keep himself still. 

“We can split up, right? Send a few of us to Hogsmeade, some to the castle, and you can call Chuck? We’ll cover more ground that way.”

Dean shook his head, frowning. “I don’t like it. We’d have to split in too many directions and there aren’t enough of us, we’d be too exposed.” He rubbed his face with his hands. “But we gotta do something, this is Cass we’re talkin’ about.”

Sam nodded. “And Cinna, and Newt. Let’s call Chuck, then. He’s the only one who’d be able to do anything at this point.”

“You said you already did that, right? You sent your patronus out there, if we didn’t hear anything back yet…” He trailed off, and his stomach sank. “Sam, you don’t think somethin’ happened at Hogwarts, do you?” 

Sam looked hesitant with his answer, but seemed to tell the truth. “I dunno, Dean. I mean, it’s  _ Hogwarts _ . I can’t imagine that Voldemort is just gonna stop attacking the castle.”

“Then we need to go, if something happened there, they could all be in danger.” Dean walked over to the table where his gun was sitting and slid it in his waistband. “Go get Cato.” 

Sam left the room and came back a few minutes later with Cato, who looked ready to go. “Let’s do this, Winchester.”

Dean nodded, grateful he didn’t have to explain. “Sammy, you stay with the others, I’ll send the phoenix as soon as I know somethin’, okay?”

Sam nodded in agreement and crossed his arms. “Be careful, okay? Don’t get yourself killed. If you get there and it’s -- it’s bad, just come back.”

“You know I can’t do that, Sam. I’m not comin’ back without Cass.” He walked over and squeezed Sam’s shoulder. “I’m gonna do my best not to get killed.” 

He shifted a little and breathed out. “Yeah, that’d be preferable.”

Dean smiled with a closed mouth and then turned to Cato, walking over to him. “Let’s take the same path they would have, just in case.” 

Cato didn’t respond, he just grabbed Dean’s arm and the next thing Dean knew, he was standing just outside of the Three Broomsticks. He looked around quickly, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Several of the shops had been boarded up, but he wasn’t surprised. A lot of witches and wizards had fled the country over the last several months as the war progressed, abandoning just about everything and seeking shelter elsewhere. “I don’t see anything. Let’s keep moving.” 

Cato had looked around as well, turning his attention back to Dean. “Where to?”

“Well, they’d have probably taken the same route back to the castle that we always did on Hogsmeade weekends. Stay close, I got no idea what we’re gonna run into.” Dean started walking, his eyes darting around. 

“You going soft on me, Winchester? Almost sounds like you actually care.” Cato followed and indeed stayed close, his wand out. 

Dean rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath before speaking out loud. “I haven’t gone soft, asshat, we’ve just lost too many people, alright? I’m tired of our people dyin’.”

“Who says I’m ‘your people’?” 

Dean’s eyebrows raised as he continued to walk. “I mean… I kinda just assumed, man. All of us have been to Hell and back, I thought we were a group or some shit. If you don’t wanna be then I guess you don’t have to. Wasn’t a formal invitation or anything.”

Cato clicked his tongue. “Don’t get all weird on me. If I didn’t think I was ‘your people,’ I wouldn’t still be here and I sure as shit wouldn’t be running around looking for your boyfriend when I could be doing something productive.” 

Dean couldn’t do anything other than roll his eyes again. He watched Cato, breathing out. “And I appreciate it, man. I do, alright? But why - why fight me on it? Why not just agree with me instead of bein’ an ass about it?”

Cato stopped walking. “I guess I just needed to hear you say I was actually included in that, alright? We’ve lost fucking everyone, I really don’t have anywhere else to go. Now knock it off with the chick flick moments, we’re almost there and I’m not gonna explain to Chuck why you’re crying like a two year old.” 

Dean grinned slightly and punched Cato’s shoulder. “I’m not crying. To Hell with the chick flick moments.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Cato resumed walking and Dean followed. The castle came into sight a few minutes later, and at first glance, everything looked normal. Cato turned his head towards Dean. “So far so good, you think something happened  _ in  _ the castle?” 

Dean looked for any sign of chaos and havoc, and let out a breath of relief when everything was seemingly okay. “I -- must be, right? Where else would the others disappear to?”

Cato scoffed. “Cass probably pulled his head out of his ass and left you. He’s probably on a beach somewhere.” He stopped in front of the door to the castle and glanced around them before opening the door and stepping in, his wand raised.

“Yeah, shut up.” Hearing Cato say those words made Dean even more uneasy, his own wand raised. He lowered it after a moment, squinting. “Everything looks… normal?” 

“I don’t hear anything. That doesn’t strike you as odd? I mean, where the fuck are all the students?” Cato turned towards the Great Hall. “You think it’s dinnertime or something?” 

Dean nodded a little. “Yeah, yeah maybe. Maybe there’s a Quidditch game or some shit. Maybe everyone’s in class.”

The closer they got to the Great Hall, the more apparent it became that whether it was dinnertime or not, the whole school was in there. Dean stopped outside the doors, and so did Cato. “Okay,” Cato said slowly. “We need to get to Chuck, but if he’s in there with everyone else… you ready to face all of them?” 

Dean breathed out and tucked his wand away. “No, but I don’t think we have much of a choice, do we?”

Cato flicked his eyes between Dean’s. “I can go.” 

Dean shook his head. “No, I’m not gonna send you in there alone, dude. I’m comin’ with you, just…” he licked his lips quickly, “let’s just get this over with.”

Cato looked relieved, and he opened the door. They stepped into the Great Hall, and all the students turned to look at them. They quieted and then broke out in hushed whispers, and Cato scoffed. “Idiots.” 

They must have walked in on some sort of announcement, because Chuck was standing at the head of the tables and looked like he had been mid-sentence when Dean and Cato interrupted. Chuck narrowed his eyes at them. “Please excuse me, everyone. It’s not often we get unexpected guests. Go ahead and eat, I’ll be back momentarily.” Chuck waved his hand and the food appeared on the tables, and most of the students turned their focus towards their meals as Chuck made his way across the Great Hall. “Maybe we should step outside?” 

Dean spared a glance around the Great Hall, a deep ache in his chest as he was reminded he never got to officially graduate. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” He turned and led Cato and Chuck back outside, chewing his lip as he did. “Alright, Chuck, you can guess we probably didn’t come here just to say hi.”

Chuck raised his eyebrows and looked between them. “No, although would it have killed you? I know you guys are busy, but a social visit every now and again isn’t too much to ask.” He crossed his arms. “It took you guys long enough to come get the boomslang skin, but why do you need me? You guys know where the potion ingredients are.” 

Dean closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. “Cass, Newt and Cinna were supposed to come for that shit, but I’m guessin’ they never showed.”

Chuck shook his head. “No, you guys are the first I’ve seen of Team Free Will since the start of the school year. How long have they been missing?” 

Cato spoke up. “Almost two full days now.” 

Dean grimaced and looked to the ground. “I’m bettin’ Voldy has somethin’ to do with it. Anyway you can help us?”

“I’ll see what I can do. Give me five minutes to finish up in there and I’ll head out, it shouldn’t be too hard to track them.” Chuck disappeared back into the Great Hall and came back a few minutes later, shutting the door behind him. “Minerva is going to cover for me while I’m gone. I’ll be able to move faster without you two, so you should head back to Sirius’s house.” 

Dean tensed and shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re gonna need our help or somethin’ and we won’t be there.”

Chuck smiled lightly. “Dean, with all due respect… you will be more of a hindrance than a help. You did your part by coming to get me. Now, get yourselves safely back to base. I’ll find them, Dean. Don’t worry.” 

Cato looked at Dean. “Maybe he’s right. We should let him do his thing, but…” Cato turned back to Chuck. “You’ve got two hours tops. If you don’t at least get back to us with some news in that time, we’re going after them ourselves.” 

Dean clenched his jaw and looked up to see Chuck nodding with a small smirk. “I won’t even need one.” With that, he Disapparated and Dean took a moment before he turned to Cato. 

“C’mon, let’s get the hell outta here.”

** _Castiel_ **

Castiel had begun to lose hope. Honestly, he hadn’t held much since trying to  _ Accio _ a dresser through the wall didn’t work. He paced the small room with his arms crossed, looking between Cinna and Newt, and then Newt spoke up.

“Will you sit down, Castiel? You’re making me nervous.” 

Castiel narrowed his eyes at Newt, pausing his pacing. “Have you not been nervous this entire time?”

“I’ve been asleep, Castiel. It’s a wonderful way to pass time. Perhaps you should try it.”

Cass rolls his eyes, looking to Cinna who was slumped against the wall. He huffed and closed his eyes. “Does anyone have any other ideas. Anything at all?”

“I’ve got one.” Castiel turned quickly to search out the source of the familiar voice, and his eyes widened when he saw Chuck Shurley standing just inches from him. Chuck continued speaking as the others looked on. “Now, we don’t have a lot of time, and you three left some very worried people behind.” Chuck handed each of them their wands and smiled awkwardly. “Shall we?” 

Cass took the wands and handed them out to the designated people, watching Chuck. “How did you…?”

Chuck rolled his eyes. “Flickerman is an idiot, that’s how. Did you know he brought you to his own house?” He shook his head. “What kind of moron brings kidnapping victims back to their house?” 

Cass shooks his head. “Flickerman, I suppose. Can you get us out of here?” He looked to Cinna briefly and then back to Chuck. “Please?”

Chuck waved his wand and the four of them appeared back in Sirius’s living room, where Dean and Sam were pacing parallel lines. Dean looked up quickly when they arrived, and looked as though he hadn’t slept much more than Castiel had. His eyes widened and he raced towards Cass, enveloping him in a tight hug. “Jesus, angel, I thought I friggen lost you.” 

Cass smiled a little and hugged him back, holding him tight. “I’m alright, Dean. I’m okay.”

Chuck clapped his hands together. “Now, the uhh, potions ingredients you needed are in your stockroom and your comrades have been safely delivered. Can I go back to Hogwarts? Or -?”

Cass didn’t pull back from Dean but he nodded. “Yes, you can go. Thank you, Chuck, for your help. And rescuing us.”

Dean was blinking at Chuck. “Where’d you find them?” 

“Caesar Flickerman’s house.” 

“How’d you know to look there?” Sam chimed in, standing next to Dean and adopting the same cross-armed pose.

“Because Caesar Flickerman stood to gain the most, and Caesar Flickerman lived there.” 

“How’d you get ‘em out?” Dean tilted his chin up, appraising Chuck.

“I just… went in and got them.” Chuck was getting visibly more confused. “Why the twenty questions, guys? Can’t you just take the win?” 

Sam and Dean looked at each other and then back to Chuck. “Doesn’t make any sense.” 

Cass had stepped back from Dean, his eyebrows raised. “What do you mean, guys? Can’t we just… be happy?”

Dean turned to Cass, his arms still crossed tight over his chest. “Tell me, angel. Did you try to get out?” 

Cass squinted. “Of course we did. I tried to  _ Accio  _ a dresser through the wall  _ without _ my wand. We tried everything.”

“And yet, it doesn’t strike you as friggen  _ weird  _ that Chuck here just… what, yanked your asses outta there?” 

Castiel licked his bottom lip, crossing his own arms now. “Uh, yeah, actually. I guess it is pretty weird.”

Dean shifted on his feet and looked like he was almost constipated in thought. Sam filled the vocal gap his brother’s silence had made. “So, what’s the deal, Chuck? What gives?” 

“You’re…  _ mad  _ at me for saving them?” Chuck looked a little incredulous. “I guess I can put them back, but…” 

This seemed to snap Dean out of his thoughts. “No! No, Jesus, man, why would you even say somethin’ like that? We’re just tryin’ to understand what happened, that’s all.” 

“What happened was that I located your friends and got them out, end of story.” Chuck took an almost defensive stance.

Cass chewed his lip and looked to Dean. “Dean, Chuck’s right. He got us out, we should be thankful, not interrogating him.”

Dean, to his credit, shut up. He didn’t seem to relax at all, however, and his brows were still bunched tight together as Sam walked over to shake Chuck’s hand. “Well uh, thanks. We owe you one.” 

Chuck still looked a little offended. “Yeah, alright.” He disappeared and Cass rubbed his face with his hands.

Dean pulled Cass into another hug. “No more separate runs, okay? I know that was my fault, but… where you go, I go from now on, you got it?” 

Cass hugged him back, closing his eyes. This was the longest conversation and the most affection Dean had shown him in weeks, and now he had the whole ‘Cinna kiss’ on his mind. Not because Cinna was on his mind, but because he felt terrible for letting something like that happen. He nodded against Dean’s shoulder. “Okay, Dean. I’ve got it.”

Sam cleared his throat and Dean pulled back slightly, but he didn’t take his hands off of Cass. “We should… leave you two alone. I’m really glad you’re okay, Cass.” Sam turned to Newt and Cinna, who were standing awkwardly to Cass’s right. “Newt, that Obscurus has been wilder than usual. You may wanna go calm it down, if you can. I’ve also done some research I thought might help you, let me grab that before you go.” Newt nodded and followed Sam out of the room, leaving Dean and Cass alone with Cinna. 

“I should go, too.” Cinna refused to make eye contact with either one of them, and instead was very focused on something on the floor. 

Castiel cleared his throat, nodding. “Yes, that’s a good idea.”

Dean squinted, looking between the two of them. “You guys good?” 

Cinna nodded quickly. “We’re fine, Dean. Everything is fine. It has just been a very long couple of days, and I’m eager to see a mattress again.” He didn’t wait for a response before leaving.

Dean looked at Cass, his hands on Cass’s waist. “What was that about?”

Castiel closed his eyes briefly, tilting his head down before opening his eyes. He had an internal battle with himself, trying to decide whether or not he should tell Dean right now. He clenched his jaw a little. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

Dean’s eyes flashed with something that resembled surprise. “Cass, angel, I just got you back. Why the hell would I be mad at you?” He paused for a moment and then kept going. “Look, I know I’ve been a dick lately, it’s just - I’m tired, Cass. I’m so  _ damn  _ tired. I’m tired of all of it, the fighting, the hiding, the funerals. I just… I’m sorry for being so distant with you. But I’m definitely not mad at you.” 

He closed his eyes again and then looked back up to Dean, shaking his head. “Dean, please don’t apologize. Not yet, at least.” He shifted his eyes between Dean’s and lowered his voice. “When we - when we were stuck in that room…” he closed his eyes again.

Dean’s grip on Cass tightened, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “What, Cass?”

He matched Dean’s volume, squeezing his eyes shut. “Cinna he… he kissed me.”

Dean was silent and Castiel tensed, clenching his jaw again. “I’m sorry, Dean. I can’t express how sorry I am.”

Dean was silent some more, and then he shook his head, scoffing and dropping his arms. “Lenny  _ fucking  _ Kravitz.” 

Castiel couldn’t tell what Dean was feeling, so he hesitantly looked up, nodding slightly. “Yes, Dean. Lenny Kravitz.”

Dean started pacing again, rubbing his jaw with his mouth slightly open. “You know what? I can’t decide what I wanna do here, I’m torn. I kinda wanna crack that dumb son of a bitch in the mouth. I also kinda wanna just ignore the fact that he even exists and fuck you into the mattress until you remember who you belong to.” He turned to Cass, dropping his arms. “Hell, maybe I’ll do both, or maybe I’ll just go to fucking bed.” 

Cass’s stomach flipped as he watched Dean, his face hot. “I- I pushed him away, Dean. I told - I told him to stop and he did.” He lowered his voice again. “I’m so sorry, please don’t break up with me.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Cass, you fuckin’ moron. I’m not gonna dump you just cuz some lonely ass professor noticed how damn hot you are. You say you pushed him away, and I don’t  _ not  _ believe you.” He walked a few steps to the doorway Cinna left out of and peeked around the corner. “Him, on the other hand… I’m about to shove that star chart up his ass.  _ You’ve always been my brightest star.  _ You gotta be fuckin’ shittin’ me.” 

Castiel was still incredibly nervous and was biting the skin around his nails as he watched Dean. “I don’t know what to say, Dean. I want to keep apologizing but… but I don’t think that’s what you want to hear.”

Dean turned his head back towards Castiel. “You said you pushed him away, what do you even have to be sorry for? You didn’t do shit,  _ he  _ did. If anyone should apologize, it’s him - and not to me, either. He should say sorry to  _ you.”  _

He let out a breath of relief, feeling himself relax a little bit. “Thank you.”

Dean squinted at him. “You don’t have to thank me for not gettin’ mad at you for somethin’ you  _ didn’t  _ do. That’s just… twelve kinds of weird, man.” He shook his head, walking back towards Cass and kissing him, bringing both hands to his face. He pulled back slightly and flicked his eyes between Cass’s. “That’s so the last person you kissed wasn’t a complete fuckin’ tool. And this one is so you’ll quit shakin’ like a damn leaf and just come to bed with me.” He kissed him again. 

Castiel kissed him back both times, his hands finding Dean’s sides. He pulled back and nodded. “Yeah, yeah I’d like that. I could probably use a shower too.”

Dean grimaced. “You and me both.” His expression changed to one of mischief. “Race you up there?” 

Castiel quirked his eyebrow and couldn’t stop the feeling of how lucky he was to have Dean, and cracked a grin before he took off through the doorway and up the stairs after him.


	34. Brother

**_Dean:_ **

“Sammy, somethin’ about this is off and you can’t tell me you don’t know that.” Dean sat by the fire, warming his hands. 

Sam nodded, his eyes on the flickering tendrils of flame. For a moment, the only sound they could hear was that of the wood splintering and crackling in the heat. “What do you want me to say, Dean? I don’t know how he did it, but I’m happy he did - because we sure couldn’t.” 

Dean picked at a blade of grass, snapping it into little pieces and tossing them in the fire. “Don’t remind me, alright? We were fuckin’ worthless. Flickerman had Cass, and you and me couldn’t do jack fuckin’ shit about it.” 

“But you heard Cass, Dean. Even from the  _ inside _ they couldn’t break out. Cass tried to get a dresser to fly through the wall but even that didn’t work. Whatever Chuck did… it was way out of any of our own abilities.” Sam watched Dean for a long moment, his jaw clenched slightly. “I don’t like not knowing how things work, you know that. I’m going insane.”

“You and me both, man. I’m grateful as hell that he got Cass outta there, and Newt and that fuckin’ douche professor too, but… I just don’t get how. It doesn’t make any damn sense, I mean, I know Chuck is supposed to be the headmaster and shit, but… his patronus is a fucking  _ kitten.”  _ Dean leaned closer to the flames and flicked his eyes around in the dark surrounding them. “How’s a guy like that --” Dean paused, then looked at Sam. “You think it’s just cuz Flickerman’s a moron?” 

“I mean, yeah, Flickerman’s a giant moron, but still. Out of  _ everywhere  _ Flickerman could’ve stashed them… I mean he could’ve very well just locked them away at Voldemort’s place, but he chose his own home and Chuck just… what? He just knew that’s where they’d be? There was no reason whatsoever to think Flickerman would take them to his place. Hell, did anyone even know Flickerman  _ has _ a house?” 

“He had to live somewhere, y’know?” Dean chewed on his lip and turned his attention back to the fire. “But when me and Cato went to go get him, he was smug as hell, man. Like he’d been waiting for this to happen. I dunno, it just seemed off. I just took it like he was a cocky little bastard, but now that I know he actually followed through? I think he’s a lot more powerful than we think he is.” 

Sam shuddered at the thought. “That’s kind of scary, honestly. I think you’re right, I don’t think he’s as innocent or as… simple as we think.”

Dean clenched his jaw and he let out a sharp breath. “Okay, then why the hell didn’t he do something about the Games? Why’d he just sit back and let it happen? More than that, how the hell did he get it to just  _ stop?  _ Did he ever tell you how he managed to keep the Death Eaters from doing another Choosing?” 

Sam shook his head. “I know the same amount that you do, Dean. I don’t think I trust him, though. Like I said, we’re all thankful that he rescued everyone but I just - how?”

“I think those are questions we need to be askin’ him, but last time I tried to ask him anything he ran off. It’s pissin’ me off though, cuz it doesn’t just stop with the Games. Maybe we’re overreacting about the whole rescue attempt thing, but… still. You ever get the feeling like the damn  _ air  _ changes when he’s in the room?” 

Sam licked his lips quickly but nodded. “Yeah, but I can’t describe how it feels. It’s different for sure, just… I can’t tell if it’s a  _ good _ different.”

“When is different ever good? Not in our world, anyway.” Dean plucked another piece of grass from the ground and began picking it apart. He glanced at his brother. “How uhh… how’re things?” 

Sam raised his eyebrows at Dean. “Things? Things are, uh… I wouldn’t say they’re good by any means, but no one’s died in a while, so I think that’s a good thing. How are things with you?”

Dean absolutely hated the way him and Sam constantly skirted around the truth when it came to things like this, so he switched tactics. “Uhh, well… Cinna kissed Cass. So, that was fun.” 

Sam stayed quiet for a moment, watching Dean as if he was trying to get a read on him. He eventually threw a tiny twig into the fire as he spoke. “I’m sorry, man. That sucks. When’d it happen?”

He chuckled bitterly. “When they were kidnapped.” He tilted his head back to look above the fire, not really focusing on anything. “Cass told me the truth right when he got back, so… that has to count for somethin’, right?” 

“Yeah, man. That counts for a lot, I’d think. What’d you do about it?” Sam stretched his arms out in front of him, looking over at Dean again.

Dean dipped the corners of his mouth down and shook his head. “Not a damn thing. Had some surprisingly  _ un _ complicated shower sex with Cass and just tried to ignore Cinna. I figure we’ve got enough shit to fight over and about without worryin’ about that shit, too. And when it all boils down, I really do trust Cass. If Cinna tries to pull somethin’ again, I’ll run him over with my car, but until then…” Dean shrugged. “What am I  _ supposed  _ to do? I think Cass would hate me a little bit if I actually tried anything.” 

Sam nodded. “I think you did everything right, man.” He paused for a moment and then smiled a little. “Alyssa and I are still good, I think. Through all of this shit I think we managed to stay…  _ good. _ ”

“I’m happy for you, Sammy. Or, at least, as happy as I can be for you given the uhh… circumstances.” He tossed the last of the blade of grass into the fire and picked a third one. 

“Yeah, thanks man. I mean, all things considered, we could’ve been a lot more screwed. Don’t get me wrong, we lost a lot of good people but… what we’ve accomplished makes their deaths count for something, you know?” He cleared his throat and looked up at the stars. “At least I’d like to think so.”

“Well, Sammy, that’s why we keep pushin’. There are days I’m so dog fuckin’ tired I can’t see straight and I swear to god my bones are cryin’, but I get my ass up and keep moving because what else can we do? We’re in too deep to backslide, and we owe it to the people that died to see this shit through.” 

Sam smiled a little wider, nodding. “Yeah, you’re right. We’ve come a really long way to give up. We’ve gotta take this all the way to the end, no matter which way things go.”

“Which brings us back around to Chuck. That son of a bitch needs to pony up if he’s really as tough as we’re thinkin’ he might be. I think we either need to take a trip to get some answers tomorrow or drag his ass here.” Dean sat back, digging his heels into the dirt in front of him.

Sam nodded and let out a deep breath. “Yeah, I agree. Do you think he’ll give us answers? Without being difficult?”

“Knowing Chuck? Probably not, but this is crunch time, y’know? We don’t have time to fuck around anymore. He’s gonna need to do  _ something,  _ there’s no way in hell we win this war without him.” He glanced over his shoulder back at the house. “Worst comes to worst, Cato’s pretty persuasive.” 

Sam chuckled a little. “If by ‘persuasive’ you mean ‘terrifying’, then yeah. He’s persuasive as hell.”

Now it was Dean’s turn to laugh, but the sound was quiet. “He’s not that scary, he just… knows how to get what he wants.” 

“Because he’s scary. I’m telling you, Dean, if I tried to do what he does and try to get things from people, it wouldn’t work. They wouldn’t care. But Cato, he’s…” he shook his head with a grin. “I’m just glad he’s on our side, that’s all.”

“They wouldn’t care cuz you’ve got longer hair than most chicks and eyes like a damn puppy dog. You might be a giant, but you’re…” Dean squinted at Sam in the light of the flames. “I dunno.  _ You.  _ You’re too precious for this world, Sammy.” 

Sam rolled his eyes dramatically. “Yeah, but usually my ‘puppy dog eyes’ work to get what I want. Not here, though. Makes everything a lot harder.”

Dean was once again reminded how young his brother actually was. How young they all were, when it boiled down to it. “That’s because the only thing these people understand is violence, Sammy. That’s why me and Cato and sometimes Sirius are the ones that go out on these missions.” He frowned at the ground in front of him and lowered his voice. “I really fuckin’ miss Finn.” 

Sam watched Dean and frowned as well. “Yeah, I know you do. We’ve all lost a lot of people but you… you’ve lost a lot more.”

“Finn wasn’t scared of anything, man. He was basically Cato without the bullshit attitude. He was always the one that stood up and said something or did something when I couldn’t. I think outta all the people we lost so far, that fucked me up the most, y’know? I tried so goddamn hard to save his stupid ass and he got himself killed anyway when I was stuck in fuckin’ Purgatory and couldn’t do a damn thing about it.” Tears welled in his eyes as he thought about his friend, about  _ all  _ of their friends, and how far away the finish line still seemed to be. 

Sam was silent for a long moment before he looked back to the flames and spoke. “Did I ever thank you for that?”

Dean shrugged. “Sure ya did, Sammy, but you didn’t have to. I didn’t do it for the thanks, I did it cuz it was the only damn option I had.” He forced his eyes to Sam. “It wasn’t just for you, before you get all weird on me. I did it for Cass and Finn and Sirius, too. Cuz in the end, volunteering to take your place was the best shot I had at keepin’ the most of you alive.” 

Sam scoffed, a small grin on his face. “What, you don’t think I could pull off what you did? I’m offended.”

“With that hair and those puppy dog eyes? No, Sam. I don’t. Purgatory was blood and bone and darkness and pain, and a fight for every damn second of your life. It’s a straight up fucking miracle that me and Cass made it outta there in one piece.” He shifted his position on the ground. “That’s not a bad thing, Sam, so don’t go thinking I’m insulting you or some shit. Your strengths have always been in your brain, not your ability to kill something standing in front of you. Purgatory isn’t exactly full of libraries and exams.” 

“You’d think it’d be the other way around by just looking at us. Y’know, you’re… small, and squirrely.” He shrugged and did his best to keep a straight face. “I’ve got three inches on you,  _ and _ I’m taller.”

“Not for nothin’, Sam, but I don’t even wanna know how you know how many  _ inches  _ you’ve got on me. That’s just fuckin’ gross.” 

“Yeah, I saw that coming. Can never just accept the joke, huh?” Sam shook his head with a grin, looking back at the house. “You think we should head back inside?”

Dean nodded and stood up, brushing the grass from his jeans. “Yeah, I better go make sure Cinna’s not building a shrine to my boyfriend in there.” 

Sam laughed and stood up as well, mimicking Dean’s actions. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

Dean kicked at the burned-down logs with his boot, spreading them out so the fire would die out quicker. He turned and saluted to Sam. “Hope you finally invested in some earplugs, little brother.” 

Sam rolled his eyes again and grimaced as he followed Dean. “Gross.”

“Hey, you’re the one that brought my dick into this conversation, not me. I figured I’d at least bring it around to a topic that isn’t utter speculation and bullshit.” He grinned, pushing Sam’s shoulder and ducking into the house. 

Sam laughed quietly in hopes to not wake anyone up, nodding. “Yeah, yeah. Goodnight, jerk.”

Dean grinned, stopping on the bottom stair to look at him. “Night, bitch.” 

\----------------------------

The next morning, Dean woke up and remembered exactly what it felt like when his bones were crying. He groaned quietly and reached out to pull Cass closer to him. “C’mere, ass. Quit rollin’ away from me.” 

Cass was also semi-awake, so he slid back closer to Dean, mumbling sleepily. “Keep your cold feet away from me, then, and I’ll stay right here.”

Dean grinned and rolled on top of Cass, sliding his very cold feet between Cass’s legs. “But angel, you’re so  _ warm.”  _

Castiel squirmed and cracked a smile. “Why the hell are they so cold anyways? It’s so hot in here.”

Dean winked. “It’s cuz all my blood is occupied elsewhere right now.” 

Castiel pushed Dean back a little with a grin, bending his knee. “What took you so long last night? I was lonely and  _ I _ was the cold one.”

“You coulda joined us, Cass.” Dean rolled off of him but stayed close, a hand on his chest. “We were just talkin’. I think we’re gonna confront Chuck today, cuz me and Sammy both agree it’s bullshit that he’s not more involved in all this. He’s way stronger than we thought, he has to be.” He brushed his thumb over Cass’s skin, following its path with his eyes. “And y’know, we were just… talkin’ about Finn and all the people we lost.” 

Cass looked over at Dean briefly, taking his hand and interlocking his fingers with his own. “I see. I agree about Chuck. There’s more to the story that he isn’t telling us.” He squeezed his hand and let out a deep breath. “I like to think everyone that’s gone would be proud of us, don’t you? At least I know Rue would be.” 

“I don’t think my dad’s ever been proud of me for anything, and if I’m bein’ honest… Finn and James both woulda beat my ass six ways from Sunday for not finding a way to end this shit already.” He smiled sadly. “They’d probably be damn proud of Cato though, that dumb bastard’s always givin’ me shit.” 

“They’d be proud of you, Dean. There’s no more Choosings, there’s nothing like that anymore. I know you care about your dad and what he thinks of you, but I don’t, and I don’t really care what his opinion would be. If he’s not proud of you for all this shit, then I don’t know how else you could please the man.”

Dean let out a breath and said goodbye to any lingering traces of his morning boner. “Yeah, I guess. Point is, we still have a fuckin’ lot of work to do, and that starts with figuring out what Chuck’s deal is. We can’t go any further in this war if our own side is hiding the damn nukes from us, y’know?” 

Cass nodded and licked his lip. “That’s true, Dean, and we will figure out what Chuck’s hiding.” He moved a little closer to Dean and pulled Dean’s leg between his own. “But right now, it’s still really early, and no one will be awake for a while.”

He nodded, nuzzling his head into Cass’s neck. “At least my feet are starting to warm up.” 

Castiel chuckled a little, closing his eyes. “Yes, you’re welcome.”

He nipped at Cass’s neck and growled quietly. “Yeah, for sendin’ all that blood back to my feet.” 

Cass tilted his head to the side but kissed Dean’s head, bending his knee some more. “Perhaps I can help return it to where it was?”

He nodded, shifting so he was hovering over Cass again. He looked at him for a long moment and then kissed him, and didn’t stop.

\------------------------------

Two hours later, Cass and Dean emerged from their bedroom looking disheveled but sated, and Dean was pleased to find that Sam had already made coffee. He poured him and Cass each a cup and then leaned against the counter in the kitchen, wrapping both hands around the mug to spread some warmth through his fingertips. Sam and Sirius were both seated at the table, and Cato came thundering down the stairs. Dean chuckled when he saw that Cato looked every bit as ruffled as he and Cass did. 

“You have a good night there, Cato?” Dean sipped his coffee to help hide his grin. 

“Shut up, Winchester. Your fly’s undone.” Cato bumped Dean’s shoulder as he reached for the coffee pot, and Dean’s eyes shot down to his pants. 

“You tool, I’m wearing fucking sweatpants. I don’t have a zipper, quit tryin’ to check out my package and makin’ excuses up.” 

Cato made an over-exaggerated gagging noise and stepped away from Dean with his cup of coffee. “You’re fucked up, y’know that?” 

Dean nodded. “Yeah, I figured it was time to let Cass have a turn.” He smirked as Cato nearly choked on his first sip of coffee. He laughed and looked away from Cato in time to see Cass’s furiously red face disappear around the corner. “Cass! Come back, man, I was just --” 

Sam turned from the table. “I never thought I’d agree with Cato, but here I am.” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “You guys are no fun.” He pushed off the counter and walked to the table, sinking down in the chair next to Sam’s. He was thankful he didn’t wince. “Alright, so have we decided if we’re goin’ to him or bringin’ him to us?” 

Sam nodded. “I can send out my Patronus, see if he’ll come here?” 

“Nah, we need to let Kip out for a bit. He’s a quick little fucker, I’m sure he can make it to the castle by lunchtime.” At the sound of his nickname, their owl Poughkeepsie chittered in his cage, his feathers fluttering loudly. 

“Yeah, alright. I’ll get something written up and send him out.” Sam stood from the table and disappeared to the little library the Blacks had off the main room. Dean moved his eyes to Alyssa and nodded awkwardly to her. “Heya, Lys.” 

“Dean.” Alyssa shifted her body away from him and he suppressed an eyeroll. He didn’t know or really care why Alyssa didn’t like him, as long as she kept his brother happy. 

“Yo, Cato… you ready to fuck up a Headmaster if he doesn’t spill the beans?” Dean jerked his chin up in Cato’s direction. 

Cato grinned and nodded to Dean. “Do I get to use the grenade launcher again?”

Dean wasn’t able to suppress this eye roll. “We’ll see. Hopefully the guy will just play ball and tell us what his deal is, but shit is never that easy for us.” 

Sam came back in, a tightly rolled piece of parchment in his hand. He unlocked and opened Kip’s cage, and the little owl puffed out his chest and stuck out his leg. Dean grinned to himself as Sam tied the letter around Kip’s leg and carried him over to the door, letting him out. When Sam returned to the kitchen, Dean spoke. “We good? What’d you say?” 

Sam nodded and sat back down. “I basically told him that we needed his opinion on a bunch of stuff. He’s good at sticking his opinion in when no one wants it.”

Dean chuckled. “Yeah, you got a point there. Alright then, we wait for either Kip to come back with a ‘fuck you’ letter from Chuck, or Chuck himself. You guys eat breakfast yet?” 

Sam shook his head. “Nah, not yet. We haven’t been awake much longer than you guys have.”

Dean raised an eyebrow, because him and Cass had definitely been up for awhile. He figured Sam had probably already heard his fill about Dean’s sex life though, so he just busied himself making breakfast. “Whole Scooby Gang here today or we runnin’ with half a crew again?” 

Cass appeared back in the kitchen and shrugged. “I’d say a little over half this time.”

“Alright then, we’ll uhh… wait a little bit, see if anyone else gets up and then I’ll make some grub.” He stood up and took his coffee mug to the sink, setting it down. “I’m gonna grab a shower and shave real quick, this stubble is actually startin’ to piss me off.” He kissed Castiel quickly and headed for the stairs, ignoring Cato’s quip about Dean’s face pissing  _ everyone  _ off. He took the steps two at a time and disappeared into the bathroom. 

Thirty minutes later, he was clean, shaved and dressed and heading back down to the kitchen. Dean opened the fridge and swore quietly because there was  _ definitely  _ not enough bacon, despite the fact that it didn’t look like anyone else had woken up yet. He pulled out what they had along with the eggs and set to work. “Cass, you want toast duty?” 

Castiel shrugged but nodded, grabbing the bread. “I can handle that.” He opened the bag and stuck two pieces in the toaster.

Dean muttered, “save their friggin lives  _ and  _ we gotta cook ‘em breakfast. What kinda bullshit - those fuckers keep eatin’ all my bacon.” He dropped a dab of butter on the skillet and aggressively pushed it around with the tip of a spatula.

All of a sudden there was sound of someone landing in their kitchen, and Dean recognized the voice that followed immediately. “I think you guys requested my presence? Well I’m here, and I brought bacon.”

“Hell fuckin’ yeah you did, you beautiful son of a bitch. Gimme that.” Dean crossed the kitchen quickly and grabbed the bacon from Chuck, returning to the stove. “Have a seat, we’ll eat first but then yeah, we’ve got some shit we wanna run by you.” 

**_Chuck:_ **

Chuck shrugged and sat down, and once Dean set all of the food on the table, they all began to eat. Breakfast passed in silence, and when everyone was finished, Dean and Cass cleaned up the dishes. Chuck looked around expectantly, and internally braced himself because he was already very aware of the answer. “Why am I here?” 

Castiel didn’t hesitate, turning from the sink to face Chuck at the table. “We want answers, Chuck. We’ve got a lot of questions we want - we  _ need  _ answered.”

He attempted to hide his sigh. He knew this day was coming, and he knew they deserved answers, but he wasn’t entirely sure how much to tell them. He decided to take this one step at a time. “I’m needed back at the school, so please… ask them quickly.” 

Dean spoke up. “Alright, then how’d you do it? How’d you get ‘em out of Flickerman’s house?” 

This one was easy. “Magic.” Dean clenched his jaw, so Chuck continued. “What I mean by that is… well, I’m particularly gifted. The students at Hogwarts only see a fraction of what I’m actually capable of.” 

Dean seemed surprised that Chuck actually admitted it, which Chuck took as a good sign. If he could make them believe he was giving them the truth, he should be able to slip in a few necessary lies without being noticed. 

“Why not?” It was Sam this time, and Chuck suppressed yet another sigh. 

“Because, it’s not necessary for students to know.” 

“That may be true, but we’re not just ‘students’, Chuck. We’ve been to Hell and back, and we deserve answers.” Sam crossed his arms, watching Chuck.

Chuck drummed his fingers on the edge of the table and sucked his teeth. “You’re angry that I didn’t reveal how powerful I was? What would you have had me do? These were teenagers in a school. I don’t exactly think there was an opportunity, unless you wanted me to burn someone’s eyes out of their head in lieu of detention.” 

Cass clenched his jaw and flicked his eyes to Chuck. “If you’re so powerful, why haven’t you intervened? Why did it cost Dean and I  _ everything _ to put an end to the Games if you’ve been powerful enough this entire time?”

_ Here it is.  _ “I might be powerful, but I’m not God. I had virtually no support, and you have  _ no idea  _ what I went through trying to stop it anyway. Did you know it was originally supposed to be twenty four kids per Choosing? And I managed to cut that number in half?” 

Dean clicked his tongue. “And what, you just managed that with your persuasiveness?”

“No, I --” Chuck let out a breath, because he couldn’t answer that truthfully without telling too much of the real story. “I fought for those kids, Dean.” 

Dean watched him. “But  _ how _ , Chuck? How’d you fight for them? Did you just take Voldy out for coffee? Was there an epic power struggle? What gives?”

Chuck looked around at all of their faces and knew he wasn’t getting out of this. “It’s closer to the first scenario, although there wasn’t any coffee.” 

Cass sighed heavily and rubbed his face. “Can you just- just tell us. How did you and Voldemort meet? How far back does all of this stem?”

“First of all, his name is Tom Riddle. Voldemort is… what I like to call his douche name.” Chuck paused, but when no one said anything or even laughed, he continued. “We sort of grew up together. Tom and I were inseparable once upon a time, he followed me everywhere. I was a year older than him, so I got my letter first. I thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown when I left for school, but the following year, he followed me there, too.” 

“So everything was great? You guys were best friends?” Cass asked, tilting his head. “What happened next?”

“Yeah, he was like a brother to me. I was an only child, unless you count my sister Amara. Which, I don’t, by the way… she was sent away to live with a relative when I was young. I think she ended up in a muggle boarding school, but either way I never saw her again. It was just me and Tom for a long time. He wasn’t always evil, you need to understand that.” 

Dean scoffs. “Yeah, that’s real hard to believe. He’s one evil bastard, and I’ll have a hard time believin’ otherwise.”

Chuck was prepared for this, but that didn’t mean he knew what to do about it. “Look, you asked, I’m answering the best that I can. Tom was all I had, for years. We did everything together. We were even in the same house at Hogwarts. And then one day, things… changed.  _ He  _ changed, and I never got him back.” 

Sam narrowed his eyes. “What changed? What made him change?”

“He was attacked by a group of Muggles that saw him do magic. They were scared, and stupid, and they acted the way that scared, stupid humans sometimes can. It was brutal, and I don’t think he ever recovered.” Chuck became very interested in a spot on the table and began picking at it with his nail. “He began paying more attention to what was happening in the world, and how quickly the Muggles were screwing it up.” 

“So he turned angry? Angry and evil and just all around terrible?” Cass asked, starting to put away some of the clean dishes. “He just… gave up?”

“More or less. He believed that wizards should be in charge, and that Muggles were inferior creatures. I… even agreed with him, at the beginning. Part of me still does, although I soundly disapprove of his methods.” 

Cass started towards Chuck, his fists clenched, but Dean pulled him back. Cass narrowed his eyes at him. “How dare you, Chuck? After everything, after all we did, you  _ still _ think there’s a divide? That’s…” Cass scoffed.

Chuck’s eyes widened. “You misunderstand me, Castiel. I thought… and still think, that wizards should be in charge -  _ not  _ that Muggles or muggleborns are inferior. You three specifically are walking, talking proof that not being a pureblood doesn’t have to mean you’re weaker.” 

“Why, though? Why can’t everyone just be equal? Why do the wizards have to control the muggles? I don’t understand.” Cass closes his eyes for a moment.

“Why are Muggles in charge right now? Why do wizards have to stay hidden?” Chuck shook his head, realizing they were getting a little too far off topic. “The point is that Voldemort’s ideals had a solid foundation, but he was terrible at executing them. That’s where I came in.” 

Sam let out a deep breath and looked to him. “What did you do?”

“I put myself in charge of checking Tom’s worst impulses. I tried for years to steer him back towards a normal path. I kept telling him if he wanted change, he should run for office. Maybe become Prime Minister. Then, no one would have to die but would have what he wanted - a wizard in charge.” Chuck fidgeted with his shirt, tugging his sleeves farther down. 

“And clearly that didn’t work,” Castiel mumbled, looking to Dean.

Dean nodded to him, before looking to Chuck. “And then what?”

Chuck didn’t miss the way that Cato was scowling at him from the corner of the room, but he was grateful that the boy was staying quiet. “He took my advice, and he lost. He blamed me for his embarrassment and he… well, he took the Ministry of Magic by force. The rest of it, I’m sure you know.”

Dean shifted his eyes over Chuck. “But if you’re so powerful, why didn’t you stop him? You could’ve stopped him, couldn’t you?”

“Because, Dean. To me, he’s still just Tom - my best friend and brother that was treated incredibly unfairly and lashed out the only way he knew how.” Chuck looked up at Dean. “What would you do if it was Sam? Would you fight him? Kill him? Or would you try to reach him, to help him?” 

Dean clenched his jaw. “That’s not the same.” He breathed out and glanced at Sam, before looking back to Chuck. “If Sammy turned out like Voldemort and was making kids fight to their deaths than yeah, I’d do somethin’.”

“You’re a liar, Dean. And you know it.” Chuck stood. “And I did do something. I stopped the Choosings. I stopped the Games. Yes, I was late. Yes, it took you kids standing up on your own for me to actually act. But I did it.” 

“You did the easy shit, Chuck! You didn’t battle through Purgatory! You didn’t lose the majority of the people you cared about! You didn’t escape Purgatory  _ twice,  _ almost dying on more than one occasion!” Castiel was yelling now, slamming his hand against the fridge. “You had all this power and  _ you _ let all these kids die because you couldn’t stand up for yourself!”

Chuck let him yell, because what else could he do? They would never understand, because they didn’t want to. Tom Riddle was - and likely still is - the only person alive that understood and accepted Chuck for who he really was. Killing him would mean killing the only friend he’s ever had. And even if Tom was evil, at least he was still  _ alive.  _ There was a chance he could be helped; could be made to see reason. He let out a controlled breath. “Keep going, Castiel. You, too.” He pointed to Dean, Sam and Cato. “You hate me because I didn’t stop this from happening to you, and you’re right. It’s my fault. I could have stopped it and I didn’t.” 

Dean was seething with anger, but it looked as if he couldn’t move. He spoke eerily calm, never taking his eyes off Chuck. “Finnick’s dead because of you. Rue’s dead because of you. All the kids that died past and present because of the Games died because of  _ you _ .”

Chuck wasn’t sure he’d ever felt so ashamed of himself in his life. He knew deep down that it was Tom’s fault, not his, but it didn’t matter. He took responsibility for Tom’s actions the second he chose to stand down. “And I will live with those deaths for the rest of my life. What would you have me do? I might be powerful, Dean, but I’m not God.” 

Dean just shook his head and stormed out of the kitchen. Everyone watched him go, before Cass spoke up. “I think you should go, Chuck. This didn’t go how any of us intended, I apologize on behalf of everyone.” Castiel didn’t look at Chuck, he kept his eyes down. 

Chuck nodded, but looked at Cass. “If it were Dean, what would  _ you  _ have done?” He didn’t wait for a response. He Disapparated back to his office at Hogwarts and collapsed in his desk chair, his head in his hands.


	35. Hair of the Dog

_**Dean:** _

Dean breathed freely for the first time in days when he hit the open road in Baby. Not even Cato’s sour mood could screw up the way Dean’s muscles relaxed as his dad’s Impala purred under him. He rolled down the window and turned the radio up, singing along. 

Cato shifted his eyes to Dean, trying to fight his own grin. “Don’t quit your day job, Winchester.”

“My day job is keepin’ your dumb ass alive, Cato. It’s a full time fuckin’ gig, too.” Dean clicked his tongue and extended his arm out the window, doing flips with his hand in the rush of wind. 

Cato watched him. “So what happened the other day, when you stormed outta the kitchen?”

“I wanted to gut him, Cato. I had to walk away, cuz like it or not - that stupid, naive son of a bitch is probably our only real shot at ending this war once and for all.” Dean shrugged. “Not to mention, Cass has a hard enough time dealin’ with us killin’ all the Death Eaters. I don’t wanna know how he’d look at me if I started icin’ the guys that are supposed to be on our side.” He adjusted his grip on the wheel and shifted in his seat. “What about you, though? You didn’t say a goddamn word.” 

Cato licked his bottom lip and looked out the window. “I was…” he scoffed, “I was trying to process all the bullshit he was spewing. I don’t trust him anymore, man. He’s sketchy, Dean. He…” 

“Look, man. I get it. Somethin’ has been off about that guy since day fuckin’ one. I’m just glad I’m not the only one that sees it.” Dean hooked a left and continued driving, urging his beautiful beast of a car faster. 

Cato shook his head. “When you left, he asked Cass what Cass woulda done if he were him.” Cato looked over at Dean. “I’m worried he’s not on our side anymore.”

“He was probably never on our side, Cato.” He shook his head, but couldn’t lie to himself and say he wasn’t curious. “Did Cass... answer him?” 

Cato shrugged. “No, not really. He just sorta… stared. He looked sad, though. Sad but also angry. I dunno, I’ve never seen him like that.”

“I have, it was basically his go-to move in Purgatory.” Dean turned left again and glanced in the rearview mirror, double-checking out of habit to make sure they weren’t being followed. “He had two facial expressions. Fucked out, and….  _ Sad-mad. _ ”

Cato sighed quietly. “I dunno, Dean. Let’s just- let’s get these goddamn supplies and go home.”

Dean glanced at him. “We’re almost there. You got the list of shit we need?” 

Cato nodded and held up a sheet of parchment. “Yup.”

He turned onto Charing Cross Road and parked outside of the Leaky Cauldron. “Gotta hope they’re not expecting us to come through the front door.” He got out of the car and pocketed his keys, walking around to the pub’s entrance. He opened the door and waited for Cato. 

Cato appeared behind him not long after, nodding. “Yeah, you and me both.”

They made their way through the pub and out the back door, keeping their heads down. Dean pulled out his wand and tapped the pattern on the brick wall in the alley and stepped back as the bricks rearranged themselves to expose the entrance to Diagon Alley. “Gotta stop at fuckin’ Gringotts, all I’ve got is muggle money.” His face twisted in irritation. “Think we should get a neon sign with an arrow pointing towards us, too? This is fuckin’ suicide.” He kept close to the line of shops, hoping the shadows cast by the wood awnings overhead would keep people from noticing them. There were decidedly fewer people here now than he’d ever seen, and he assumed it was due to all of the boarded up shops and broken windows. 

Cato visibly tensed. “What the hell happened here?” 

“Same thing that happened in Hogsmeade, man. And everywhere fuckin’ else. Voldemort.” Dean kept his voice low and his eyes lower, his ears peeled for any signs of danger. 

Cato mumbled, annoyed, before he spoke again. “I can’t tell who I hate more. Him, or Chuck.”

“Yeah, well… those bastards were B-F-F’s for a reason, I guess.” He stopped outside of Gringotts and took a deep breath. “Here goes nothin’.” He swung the door wide and walked in like he belonged there. 

Cato followed him in, just as confidently. They both scanned the room and tried to ignore the eyes that landed on them. Cato urged Dean forward. “Quick, Winchester. Move it.”

Dean shot him a glare, but quickly approached one of the goblin tellers. He pulled out a crumpled wad of cash and mentally cursed himself for not straightening it out first. He did what he could with the bills and handed them over. “Yeah, hi. I need to make an exchange.” 

The goblin was surprisingly quiet, almost afraid. He took the cash without question and quickly handed over the exchanged money. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Dean was confused, but wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. “Nope, that’s it today. Thanks.” He pocketed the coins and turned, grabbing Cato and half-dragging him out of Gringotts. When they were safely outside, he turned to him and let his arm go. “You ever seen a goblin scared before?” 

Cato shook his head. “Scared? The thing was terrified, man. What the hell was that?”

He grimaced and shrugged. “I was tryin’ to be generous.” He cast his eyes around the part of Diagon Alley that he could see from their vantage point. “It got bad here.” 

“Yeah, it’s real bad. Everyone’s gone too, this place is empty.” Cato shook his head. “When does it end?”

“It ends with Voldy’s head on a fuckin’ spike.” Dean started walking, hoping at least some of the shops they needed were open. It looked like they were going to strike out with Quality Quidditch Supplies, and he hoped their brooms were still in better shape than he thought, because his servicing kit was depleted and it was clear they wouldn’t be getting another one. He saw lights on in Ollivanders, and looked to Cato. “You wanna split up? You go get the potions shit we need and a couple of extra cauldrons and I’ll handle the rest?” 

Cato shook his head a little. “No offense, Winchester, but that’s a terrible idea. Stuff always goes south when someone’s alone.”

“Fine, but I’m making a pitstop and you’re just gonna have to get over it.” He didn’t wait for Cato’s response as he walked into Ollivanders. At first glance, the place looked deserted, but it wasn’t uncommon for the wandmaker to be in the back of his shop. The bell had dinged to signal the arrival of a customer, so Dean fidgeted with his hands at the counter and waited. 

Cato hummed from behind Dean, looking around the shop. Dean was ready to give up and leave when he heard the scraping sound of a ladder across a concrete floor, and then Ollivander appeared. The man stared intently at Dean for a moment, and then climbed down off of the ladder. “Cyprus wood, unicorn hair. Mmmm 12 ½ inches, was it? Rigid, too, yes…” 

Dean’s cheeks burned red with the recognition. “Uhh, yeah. Yeah, that’s me. Mine. My… wand.” 

“Yes, I’m aware. Why are you here, boy?” Ollivander asked, looking at Cato briefly and then back to Dean.

“I found it. The twin core. It belongs to Cass Novak.” Dean watched him carefully, waiting for his reaction. 

Ollivander kept a neutral face for a long time, before he nodded with a small grin. “I knew you would, twin cores always find each other.” He tilted his head, thoughtful. “Are you happy?”

Dean was taken aback by the question. He got the distinct feeling he was talking about more than just being happy he found a similar wand. “Uhh… I’m kinda in the middle of some shit, but… yeah. The twin cores are cool, they seem to feed off each other’s magic.”

“Precisely, Mr. Winchester. They’re strong alone, but together they… they can do anything, but I’m sure you’ve discovered that to some extent already?” Ollivander questioned, keeping his eyes on Dean. 

Dean nodded. “Yeah, there’s been a few times I’ve been able to pull off magic with Cass that I could never do alone. You said anything, though. That’s a bold statement.” 

He quirks his eyebrow. “Is it?”

Dean was silent as he contemplated that. He didn’t know how to outright ask the question that was burning in his mind.  _ Can we kill Voldemort?  _

Cato grabbed him. “Enough, Winchester. We need to move. Now.” 

Dean nodded and turned to wave to Ollivander as they left. “I’m comin’, Cato, Jesus. Lemme go.” He pulled his arm out of Cato’s grasp and walked hastily towards Potage’s Cauldron Shop. They selected a couple of brass cauldrons. He’d have preferred pewter or silver for making polyjuice potion, but they were low on funds and needed to use them sparingly. They paid, ducking out of the shop and heading for Slug and Jiggers Apothecary. Cato moved swiftly through the shop, and Dean was fairly certain he saw him pocket a couple of the smaller ingredients they needed. He wasn’t going to complain. Cato purchased the ingredients he wasn’t intending on shoplifting and Dean opened the door to leave. He spotted two Death Eaters talking to the owner of Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour, and he ran smack into Cato as he tried to retreat back into the Apothecary. 

“What the fuck, Winch--” Dean slapped his hand over Cato’s mouth and glared at him. 

He hissed, “Will you shut the hell up!” Cato’s eyes narrowed dramatically but he nodded, so Dean moved his hand and pointed at the Death Eaters through the window. “They know we’re here. Supply run’s over.” 

\--------------------------

Dean and Cato made it back to Sirius’s house several hours later. They’d managed to sneak past the Death Eaters and make it out of Diagon Alley without being seen, which Dean thought was damn near a miracle. They’d also stopped for groceries and the non-magical things that they needed, and it took more than one trip to get everything inside from the car. He set the last bag down on the table and rolled his shoulders. 

“You got this, Winchester? I’m gonna go find Sarah. We’re leaving in like an hour again, right?” Cato looked to him with tired eyes, and Dean reluctantly nodded in response. 

“Yeah, man. Last few Death Eaters and then we’ll be ready.” 

Cato walked towards the stairs, bumping Castiel’s shoulder on the way as Cass walked into the kitchen. 

“I take it the supply run was successful?” he asked, eyeing the bags on the table. He continued into the kitchen and began to help put the stuff away.

“Yep. Almost got caught outside of the Apothecary, but lucky for us most Death Eaters are exactly as dumb as they look.” Dean dug through a couple of the bags and then swore. “Damnit, after all that, I forgot the fuckin’ liquor.” 

“I thought that was the most important thing on the list?” Cass grinned, putting some chocolate into one of the cupboards. “It’s okay, we can go out later and get some maybe.” He paused for a moment, and then looked to Dean. “Wait, aren’t we going to get hair soon?”

Dean nodded and looked at his watch. “I just told Cato an hour. We know where they’re gonna be, and they’re gonna be in the same place. We can’t afford to be late, so… guess the whiskey can wait until after.”

Castiel finished putting away the last bag and looked to Dean. “Who’s going with you to get the rest of the hair?”

“Cato, obviously. Sirius, if I can find him.” Dean shrugged. “It’s up to you if you wanna join, but you know how these things go. We don’t exactly plan on leaving survivors.” 

Cass shook his head. “Then I’ll stay here. You don’t need people who will just slow you down. Besides, I can start preparing the rest of the Polyjuice potions.”

Dean watched Cass for a long moment, but ultimately nodded. “It’ll be quicker if I don’t have to constantly worry about you, y’know?” 

“I know.” He crossed his arms. “Do you even have any idea where Sirius is? I haven’t seen him since this morning, he might be in the basement.”

“I’ve been gone all day, Cass.” Dean put the last of the supplies away from the bag he had and started walking towards the door that leads down to the basement. “I’ll check down, you check up?” 

Cass watched Dean and nodded, heading to the attic area. “Sounds good to me.”

He ducked downstairs and looked around, finding Sirius sleeping on the couch. He hesitated, knowing how badly his best friend needed and deserved rest. Him and Cato could  _ probably  _ accomplish what they needed to do on their own, but they were both tired as well, and any misstep could prove fatal. He thought about the others that were currently in the house, and decided he’d try Bobby instead. If Bobby wasn’t interested, he’d come back for Sirius. He quietly ascended the stairs to the main floor, and then the next flight up to the floor with the bedrooms. He knocked on Bobby’s door, and opened it when he heard Bobby give the go-ahead. 

“Hey, we’re headed out soon. You wanna roll with me and Cato on this one or would you rather babysit?” 

Bobby looked up from the gun he was cleaning, nodding. “Yeah, I’m in. Might be nice to get outta here for a while.”

“Yeah, it ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. Things are gettin’ worse out there by the day.” He started back towards the door. “We’re leaving in forty - Cass and Sammy are gonna start the potions while we’re out. Soon as they’re done, it’s go-time.” 

Bobby nodded again, putting the gun back together. “Yeah, alright. See ya in forty.”

Dean headed up to the attic and found Cass. “Sirius is stayin’ back this time, we’re taking Bobby instead.” 

Castiel shrugged, looking around the cluttered attic. “Sure. I spoke with Sam and Alyssa, they agreed to help me.”

“Figured they would. Get Sarah involved as well, we’re gonna need a shit ton of it and I think she feels a little outta the loop here.” Dean walked to the small, circular window and looked out of it, chewing his lip. “This is the last run before we take back Azkaban. Or try to, anyway.” 

Castiel shifted on his feet, looking at the ground. “You really think we can do it, Dean? Escaping Purgatory is one thing, but taking over an entire prison overrun with Death Eaters is another.”

“And Dementors… can’t forget them.” Dean’s stomach was in knots, because in truth, he really didn’t think they could do it. They’d been slowly preparing for this for months, but the actual execution was going to be unlike anything they’d ever attempted before. “We have to, Cass. There’s no way we win this war without freeing the people they’ve got locked up and having a place to throw the Death Eaters we don’t - or can’t- kill.” 

“Then maybe we just… shouldn’t. Maybe Chuck can deal with it, he’s stronger than any of us, right? He can just… kill them. Do something, I don’t know.” Castiel sighed quietly. “I just - I’m scared, Dean.”

“You and me both, Cass. But listen, we can’t count on Chuck for shit. You know that. This is on us, it’s always been on us. We’ll just… we’ll figure it out.” He walked to Cass and took his hands. “We’re not gonna lose this war, angel.” 

Castiel didn’t seem too convinced, but he nodded. “Okay, Dean. If you say so. How long till you have to leave?”

Dean checked his watch again. “Twenty-five minutes, give or take.” 

Cass nodded and looked over Dean’s shoulder out the window. “Okay. Do you have everything you need ready?”

“Yeah, I packed up Baby this morning. I honestly didn’t know if we were gonna have time to even come back here at all.” He turns his head to look at Cass. “You know I’m comin’ back to you, right?” 

Castiel forced a smile. “Yes, Dean. I know you are.”

Dean turned fully and pulled him into a hug. “We’re almost done, Cass. A couple more months and this’ll all be over, one way or the other.” 

Cass wrapped his arms around Dean too, speaking quietly and trying to keep his optimism. “And we’ll be sipping Mai Tai’s on the beach?”

“With matchin’ Hawaiian t-shirts and goofy ass grins. You got it, angel.” He pulled back enough to kiss him, his hands coming up to Cass’s face as he brushed his thumbs over his cheekbones. 

Cass smiled softly into the kiss, his hands finding Dean’s waist. “I like that idea.”

“Good, cuz it’s the only damn one we’ve got.” He reluctantly pulls back. “I should probably at least attempt to eat something.”

Castiel nodded. “Do you want me to make you something quickly? Charlie says the macaroni and cheese that I make is the best she’s ever had.” He lowered his voice. “Don’t tell her it’s from a box.”

He chuckled quietly. “Sure, Cass. Mac n cheese sounds pretty damn good, actually.” 

Castiel grinned and kissed him again quickly, before descending the ladder to the attic, leaving Dean alone.

Dean stayed where he was for several minutes, closing his eyes and taking a series of deep breaths.  _ We can do this. We have to do this. This is just a milk run… knock off a few Death Eaters, snatch their hair, get the shit we need for these potions. Easy as pie.  _ At the thought of pie, Dean’s stomach growled loudly and he hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen. He was in the attic long enough that Cass had finished cooking and was dishing the macaroni onto plates. 

“Thanks, angel.” Dean sat down and started eating, barely closing his mouth as he chewed because it was still quite hot, but he didn’t have time to let it cool down. 

Castiel spooned some into bowls for everyone else as well, lining them up on the counter before bellowing for everyone to come and get it.

Soon after, everyone had eaten and Charlie hadn’t been kidding - for boxed macaroni, it was pretty damn good. Dean hummed his thanks to Cass and stood up from the table, kissing him quickly. “I think it’s my night for dishes, just leave ‘em till I get back, okay?” 

Castiel laughed quietly. “I’m not going to that, Dean. I can handle washing a few bowls while you go and get Death Eater hair.”

He made a face. “Gross, don’t remind me.” He kissed him again. “I need you preppin’ those lacewing flies, angel. Leave the dishes for Charlie or someone then.” 

Charlie audibly groaned, but grinned nonetheless. “Yeah, alright, fine. I’ll do the dishes.” She pulled her wand out and gathered all the bowls. “ _Scourgify!_ ”

_ Leave it to Charlie to be more clever than the rest of us.  _ “Yeah, yeah… friggen show off.” Dean wiped his hands on his jeans and looked for Cato, who didn’t show up for dinner. “You think he’s with Sarah?” 

Alyssa scoffed with a grin. “Oh yeah, he’s  _ with _ Sarah alright.”

“Again…  _ gross.  _ Alright, well… I call ‘not it’ on goin’ to get him.” Dean sat right back down and crossed his arms.

Before anyone else could claim to not be it, Cato and Sarah appeared in the doorway, stupid grins on their faces. “Going to get who?”

“You, idiot. You’re late. We gotta roll.” Dean stood again, and regretted even sitting back down in the first place because every muscle in his body hurt. 

Cato smirked. “It was well worth it, I promise.” He winked at Sarah whose face turned red. 

“Yeah, yeah. For fuck’s sake, we’ve wasted enough time. I already wanna be back home.” He kissed Cass one more time and then headed for the door, yelling for Bobby and Cato to either follow him or he’d go alone. 

Cato and Bobby quickly got up and followed him out to the Impala, Cato selfishly yelling “Shotgun!” as he got into the passenger seat, causing Bobby to grumble.

Dean rolled his eyes and started the car, turning the radio up. “Long drive fellas, buckle up.” 

Cato rolled his eyes in response, reaching forward to change the song. “This is the same damn song everytime we get in the car.”

Dean looked at him for a moment, horrified. “Yo! Rule number one, dickhead. Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole.” Dean reached over and changed it back. “Rule number two - you ever turn off Zeppelin again, and I’ll run your ass over.” 

Cato looked as if he was going to reply, but ultimately shut his cakehole. Bobby snickered from the backseat. “Dumbass.”

Dean grinned at his small, mostly imagined victory and continued driving. The thing he liked most about bringing Bobby and Cato along instead of some of the others was that they didn’t talk. Usually at all. He was able to enjoy the drive with just music in his ears and the open road in front of him. 

A couple of hours later, he parked across the street from the address he’d indicated on the map he kept in his glove box. He double-checked that his gun was loaded with the safety off and that his wand was tucked in his jeans before sliding out of the car, Cato and Bobby close behind him. He walked around to their side of the vehicle and looked towards the house. “Alright, you guys know the drill. According to the blueprints of this place, there are three doors - front, back, and one on the left side that leads down into the basement. Cato, you take that one. Bobby, you go around back. That leaves me in the front.” 

Cato interrupted with a smirk as he cocked his gun. “Figured you’d wanna go in the back, Winchester. That’s your thing, right?” 

Bobby punched him before Dean had the chance. He nodded his thanks to the man and set off towards the house without saying a word to Cato. He was right, but this definitely wasn’t the time. He heard light footsteps behind him as the two followed and then split off. Dean was grateful for the immense darkness surrounding them, and wasn’t too concerned with the fact that there were no lights on in the house. It was after midnight and he was hoping their targets would be asleep, because fighting a house full of Death Eaters wasn’t something he particularly looked forward to. 

He pulled out his wand as he got to the door and whispered the unlocking spell. Nothing happened. He tried two more before he finally came to the conclusion that he wasn’t getting in the house by magical means. He swore quietly and reached behind him, pulling out the bobby pin that he kept on his waistband at all times for just such an occasion. He quickly shook out his right leg to check for his knife in his boot, letting out a silent breath when he felt it move. He kept his movements slow, measured and quiet as he picked the lock and opened the door. He was grateful the door didn’t creak as he snuck in, holding his breath as he closed it carefully. He stood still with his hand on the doorknob for several long seconds as he listened for any signs of movement. None reached his ears, so he took a few measured steps forward and promptly lit the end of his wand. A quick sweep showed him he was in the living room, which was on par with what he saw in the blueprints. He mapped out his path to the staircase and then tucked the tip of his wand in his jacket to mask the light as he maneuvered through the darkness to the stairs. It occurred to him that he hadn’t heard either of the other doors open, but assumed the one downstairs was out of earshot. It was possible that Bobby was able to get through the back one with magic - or perhaps he couldn't, and didn’t have a way to jimmy the lock. Either way, Dean was in the house and had a job to do. Heel to toe, he took the steps as gently as he could until his feet finally found purchase on the landing. He waited another few moments, listening for sounds other than his own racing heart but again heard nothing. He risked pulling his wand from his jacket once more just to double-check his surroundings and nearly jumped out of his skin when the beam of light landed on one of the Death Eaters they were there to kill. The scream that had built thankfully died in his throat, but nothing could stop the sound of Ludo Bagman’s boots thundering across the old wooden floor as he charged at Dean. 

Dean stepped back a couple of paces and dodged at the last second, too focused on trying to keep the noise down to think of a spell to use in his defense. Bagman staggered as Dean moved and fell against the wall behind Dean, sliding to the floor. Dean’s head whipped around to make sure none of the other doors were opening, but the man took advantage of Dean’s distraction and swept his legs out from under him. Dean landed with an audible  _ oof  _ and kicked out hard, aiming for the Death Eater’s face. His wand had rolled out of his hand, the lighted tip bouncing across the hallway to the other wall. Bagman grabbed at his feet and yelled loudly, which only made Dean kick out harder. He tried to roll his body, his nails scratching at the splintered wood below him as Bagman’s hands desperately tried to pull Dean back towards him.

“Get back here, you little -”  _ Crack.  _ Dean’s foot finally found Bagman’s face, and the sound of the man’s nose breaking replaced whatever insult he was about to throw at Dean. Bagman’s hands shot to his nose, giving Dean the split second he needed to right himself and send his foot barreling towards Bagman’s chest. It collided with a pained noise from Bagman, and his arms flailed wildly as he started falling backwards. Adrenaline coursed through Dean’s veins as he kicked out with both feet now, sending Bagman toppling backwards down the stairs.  _ Thump. Thump. Thump.  _ Bagman cursed loudly and yelled as he bounced painfully down the stairs, unable to stop his momentum. Dean crawled forward to watch, but quickly looked away with a grimace as Bagman’s head smacked against the wall with a sickening crack, and the man finally stopped yelling. 

The ruckus was enough to wake the rest of the house, and Dean was sure he was a goner. Neither Cato nor Bobby had shown up despite clear instructions beforehand to head upstairs to the bedrooms as quickly as possible. He swallowed hard as three doors opened and four Death Eaters stepped out into the hallway. Dean was still on his ass by the stairs and fumbled quickly for his gun, barely registering a loud, thundering crash from somewhere downstairs. He pulled the trigger without aiming and managed to hit two of the Death Eaters before he was hit with a Disarming spell and his gun flew out of his hand. He scrambled to his feet, seeing his wand on the other side of the two remaining Death Eaters. He yelled loudly, hoping to alert Cato and Bobby that he needed backup and charged at the two, knocking into them bodily and diving for his wand. He picked it up and rolled over, practically screaming “ _ Avada Kedavra!”  _ at the female Death Eater, Lilith, and she fell to the floor in a heap; her slack-jawed face illuminated in the green light of the spell. He was once again disarmed and the Death Eater raised his wand. 

“ _ Avada Keda-”  _ Dean half stood up and threw himself against the opposite wall to dodge the Killing Curse, reaching into his boot for his last and final weapon. He drew the blade and lunged forward, stabbing his attacker in the chest. The man dropped his wand and looked down at the blade, and then reached up and grabbed Dean by the neck. Dean sputtered as he was lifted off the ground by his throat, stars exploding in the corners of his eyes. He clawed at the man’s face to no avail, and was slammed into the wall behind him. His vision temporarily blacked and his hands dropped from the Death Eater’s face. The side of his right hand brushed against the handle of the blade that was still protruding from the man’s chest. He attempted to suck in air as the man squeezed harder, and Dean wrapped his hand around the knife and twisted it, driving it deeper. The man yelled out in pain and dropped Dean, who crumpled to the floor, coughing and choking on air. He could barely see through the tears swimming in his eyes, but when two additional silhouettes appeared in the hallway, Dean was sure it was over for him. He heard the Killing Curse a split second before the all-too familiar flash of green light filled the hallway, and Dean braced himself for a death that didn’t come. 

He heard the sound of a heavy body smacking against the floor and he lifted his head, blinking back the blurriness as his still-lit wand was shoved in his face. “Winchester, you fuckin’ tool. Why didn’t you wait for us?” 

Dean stood quickly but swayed on his feet. “Cato, that you?” His voice was barely there, and the words came out wrecked and raspy.

A hand grabbed the wrist that was now holding his wand, and jerked it upwards until the  _ lumos  _ light brought Cato and Bobby’s faces into view. “You’re lucky we didn’t fucking kill you instead.” Cato’s voice was harsh, which did nothing for Dean’s mood.

“What the fuck took you so long?” Dean fell into a coughing fit from trying to force the words out. 

“We couldn’t figure out a damn way inside. The doors were locked and magic wasn’t doing anything,” Cato stated, eyeing Dean. 

Bobby spoke up, nodding slightly. “You want me to  _ Episkey _ you?”

Dean finally stopped coughing long enough to nod. “Cass sees me like this, he’ll have a fuckin’ heart attack. And Cato, you prick, you know about muggle guns and knives and shit but you can’t pick a goddamn lock?” 

Bobby healed Dean quickly as Cato shrugged. “I forgot my lock pick at the house, and unlike you I don’t carry girly hair accessories around in my fucking pockets.”

“It wasn’t in my pocket, dick, it was on my waistband. You’re gonna insult me, at least get your fuckin’ facts straight.” Dean grabbed his gun from where it landed and tucked it in his waistband, right next to the bobby pin. “And thanks to that  _ girly hair accessory,  _ I pretty much single-handedly wiped out this fuckin’ house. Let’s get the hair and go, alright?” 

Bobby nodded, clapping Dean on the shoulder. “Yeah, you damn well handled yourself, Winchester. Nice work.” He stepped away from Dean and made his way down the stairs to Bagman’s body.

Dean and Cato collected the hair from the four Death Eaters still in the hallway and then joined Bobby at the foot of the stairs. “Let’s roll, I wanna go home.” 

Cato grinned cheekily. “Can I drive?”

“Dude.” Dean’s arms dropped to his sides as he shot Cato an exasperated look. “Are you  _ tryin’  _ to get your ass beat? Cuz that’s how you get your ass beat.” 

Cato winked and turned, leading them out of the house. “I call shotgun!”

Bobby scoffed. “No! You got it on the way here, ya idjit! You can’t have it both ways.”

“Oh but I can, Singer. I called shotgun, suck it up.” Cato grinned, as Bobby looked to Dean for help.

“That ain’t fair, Winchester!” Bobby complained some more, and Dean nodded. 

“Yeah, Cato you’re in the back. A… you’re pissin’ me off right now and B... you’re pissin’ me off right now.” Dean nodded and unlocked the Impala, getting in the driver's seat as Bobby climbed in the passenger and Cato reluctantly in the back. Although it may have not gone as smooth as any of them intended, they still got the hair and no one other than those Douche Eater’s died. 

_ Count your small victories, Dean. _

**_Castiel_ **

“Three measures of fluxweed picked on a full moon?” Sam read off the parchment, looking to Cass. “We got that?”

Castiel nodded and gestured to it on the table. They had set up a makeshift potions room in the basement where they could store all their ingredients. “We do, yes. I picked it myself three nights ago.” Castiel picked up the fluxweed, measured out three parts, and added them to the cauldron.

“Knotgrass bundles… two of them.” Sam read, looking to Castiel again. Cass nodded and picked up the two bundles, tossing them into the cauldron.

“Now we stir four times clockwise, yes?” Castiel asked, though he was almost certain he was correct. Sam nodded which gave Cass the go-ahead to pick up his wand. He began stirring, looking to Alyssa who spoke up.

“What would happen if we stirred counter-clockwise? Or… or only stirred three times instead of four?”

Castiel stopped after the fourth stir, looking over at her. “Well, we certainly wouldn't end up with a Polyjuice potion, that’s for sure.”

“What kind of cauldron is that?” Sam asked, squinting.

Castiel smiled. “It’s a copper one, meaning we only need to let it brew for sixty minutes. When it’s done brewing we add the leeches, the lacewing flies crushed to a paste, and then heat it for thirty seconds.”

“You’re a freak, you know that?” Sirius asked, appearing in the doorway to their potion room. 

Castiel clicked his tongue and shrugged. “That may be so, but at least I’m being productive. How was your six hour nap, Sirius?”

Sirius raised his eyebrows and pulled out a chair, sitting down at the table. “Yeah, alright, fair enough. How long ago did Dean and the others leave?” 

Cass shrugged and looked over at the clock hanging above the door. “I think they’ll be back soon, they’ve been gone a really long time.” 

As if Cass had actually summoned them, heavy footsteps were heard from above them. Cass recognized Dean and Cato’s voices immediately, and rolled his eyes when he realized they were arguing. Again. 

Dean cut off the argument and yelled for Cass, then came slowly down the stairs. “Angel, where you at?” 

“In here, Dean.” Castiel moved to the doorway and visually relaxed when Dean was seemingly unharmed. “Are you okay?”

Cato came down the stairs after Dean, and Bobby was close behind. Dean eyed them both warily and then nodded to Cass. “Yeah, angel. I’m good. Cato did all the heavy lifting this time, anyway.” 

Cass grinned and stepped forward to kiss him quickly, before nodding to Cato in a way to say thank you. He looked back to Dean, taking his hand and leading him more into the potion room. “Look. In sixty minutes we can do the next step.”

Cato whispered something clipped to Bobby and then headed back upstairs. Dean shook his head slightly at the man’s retreating form and then turned his attention towards the potions in front of him. “Good deal. I’ve uhh… I’ve got the hair.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out five small, labelled baggies with varying colours and lengths of hair in them. “We need to keep it straight whose is whose, cuz we’ll need to know who we’re turnin’ into.” 

Castiel grimaced at the hair but took the baggies from Dean, reading over the names before setting them down on the table with the rest of the potion ingredients. “Yes, okay. As long as they stay in these baggies I can manage that.”

Dean’s jaw flexed. “Whoever takes Alastair’s should probably steer clear of me.” 

Castiel scanned Dean’s face but nodded. “Okay, that can be arranged. When we decide on groups, whoever disguises themselves as Alastair can be put in a different one.”

Dean’s hand lightly rubbed over the front of his throat. “Good, yeah. That uhh… that sounds good. Listen, angel. I’m wiped, this has been a  _ long  _ ass day. You need me for anything else here or are you good?” 

Castiel shook his head a little but frowned. “No, I think I’m okay.”

Dean kissed him, holding his lips there for a long moment before pulling back. “Don’t be long, okay?” 

Castiel nodded and eyed the potions. “I’d be a lot quicker if I trusted any of them to finish these.”

“They’ve gotta be perfect. I think Charlie would cut corners, and Sirius is too heavy-handed to measure shit out right. You could always ask Molly and Cressida, they were the go-to potion makers in Purgatory.” 

Castiel tilted his head and then nodded. “We’ll see. If they’ve got to be perfect…” he lowers his voice, “I think I should make them. I’ll see what Cressida and Molly can do, though.”

Dean sighed quietly. “Okay, Cass. I gotta go lay down, I’ll uhhh… see you in a few hours I guess.” He closed his eyes and leaned forward, pressing yet another quick kiss to Cass’s lips. “I’m gonna shower first though, I can’t imagine I smell very good right about now.” 

Castiel grabbed Dean’s hand and smiled a little. “You don’t, but I don’t mind.” He looked back at the potions again and shrugged. “If you trust Molly and Cressida, I suppose I can trust them too. Have you seen them?”

Again, as if summoned, Cressida and Molly appeared in the doorway. “Do you want us to finish off the potions?”  
Castiel nodded slightly. “If you can, yes. I’ve got everything laid out nice and neat, just follow the instructions on the parchment. If you have any questions you can…” he paused and looked to Dean again, before looking back to the girls. “Ask Cinna. He knows a fair bit about potions.”

Molly nodded with a knowing smile. “Go on. Enjoy it while you can, I should think we can handle this.” Cressida nodded her agreement and immediately moved to pick up where Cass had left off. 

Dean grabbed Cass’s hand and tugged him forward. “C’mon.”

Castiel chuckled and thanked Cressida and Molly, before following Dean out of the potion room and up the stairs. “I’m right behind you, Dean. I’m coming.” 

Dean smirked. “Not  _ yet _ .” 


	36. Jailbreak

**_ Castiel _ **

Castiel woke up on the day he’d been dreading since a month ago, tangled in Dean’s arms and the blankets. He refused to open his eyes but knew Dean was awake by the feeling of his fingers running down his arm. “Good morning, Dean.”

Dean grumbled and pulled Castiel impossibly closer to him. “No, it’s not.”

Castiel sighed quietly, his back to Dean’s chest. “I know it’s not, Dean. Did you sleep well?” 

Dean shook his head. “Nah. Kept wakin’ up. What about you?” 

Castiel shook his head as well. “Not in the slightest.” He rolled so he was facing Dean, finally opening his eyes. “Are you ready for today?”

Dean looked tired, but Cass had to smile to himself when he saw that old, familiar flicker of defiance in Dean’s eyes. “Hell yeah, I’m ready. It’s time we turn the tide on this war, Cass. I’m done fuckin’ around.” 

Castiel nodded and kept his smile, despite feeling like he might puke. He hadn’t been on a mission this big since… hell, he couldn’t even remember. He kissed Dean once and then pulled back. “Me too.”

“Is there any chance I can get you to stay home?” Dean looked at him with something like hope in his eyes.

Castiel closed his eyes and stayed quiet, shaking his head little bit. “No, Dean, there isn’t.”

Dean just nodded. “Yeah, I figured as much. That’s okay, when shit gets real, I’d rather have you anyway.” 

Cass smiled a little and then opened his eyes again, squeezing his hand. “We’re going to be fine, Dean. We have to be.”

Dean sat up and nodded. “Yeah, angel. I know. Once this is over we’ve got one more fight, and if all goes as planned… we’ll be on that beach by the end of the year.” 

Castiel knew that wasn’t going to happen, but he didn’t say anything. Instead he attempted to pull Dean back down, and Dean reluctantly obliged.

“Cass, sweetheart, we gotta move.” He brought a hand up to Cass’s face. “As much as I wanna stay right here, we’ve got one helluva fight ahead of us today and I gotta make sure everyone knows what the hell they’re doin’ or we’re gonna lose a lot of people.” 

Castiel knew Dean was right but he didn’t loosen his grip on Dean at all. “Five more minutes?”

Dean relaxed in his arms. “Five more minutes.” 

\------------------------------

Cass stumbled around the bedroom getting dressed. “I believe that was more than five minutes,” he smirked, pulling on his jacket.

“Yeah, well… I’m not sorry.” Dean laid there for a moment longer, his body glistening with sweat. “You cheated, anyway.” He sat up and slid off the bed, gathering the clothes that somehow ended up clear across the room and pulling them on.

“How do you figure that?” Castiel asked, fitting his belt through the loops on his jeans.

Dean just rolled his eyes with a smile and opened the door. “I’ll meet you down there.” He disappeared out of sight.

Castiel chewed the inside of his cheek and didn’t move for a long moment, but eventually made his way to the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face and was certain he’d throw up if he had any food in his stomach. He dried his face off and nodded in reassurance to himself, before leaving the bathroom and sauntering down to the kitchen where he was met with the overwhelming smell of bacon.

The room was already full, and Dean was shoulder-checking Cato as they fought for space at the counter to load up their plates. “Fuck  _ off  _ Cato, get your own!” 

“Suck it, Winchester, it ain’t my fault you slept all fucking morning.” Cato snatched the last piece of bacon, and for a second, it truly looked like Dean was going to kill him. 

“Enough, guys! Seriously, there’s more cooking. Just be patient.” Sam’s voice was clipped and irritated, and Cass assumed it was from a combination of the senseless bickering and the fact that he was, once again, being left behind. 

“Aww c’mon, Sammy! You’re supposed to take my side on this shit.” 

“I  _ am  _ taking your side, Dean. The bacon that Cato’s eating expired three days ago. I saved the good stuff for you.” Sam smiled as Cato dropped the remainder of his bacon on his place with a hiss. 

Dean laughed loudly, pointing a finger directly in Cato’s face. “Sucks to suck, doesn’t it?”

Cato clenched his jaw and looked to Sam as if silently asking him if he was serious, to which Sam just nodded. Castiel shook his head with a small smile, sitting on the bottom step as he watched everyone in the room. His knee was bouncing as he did, and he was biting the skin around his thumb nail. 

“Will you get away from me, Winchester? You smell like sex and B.O.” Cato pushed Dean back a step.

“And you  _ don’t.  _ What, did Sarah finally get some glasses and half a brain?”

“Hey!” Sarah exclaimed from the other side of the kitchen. “I can see just fine.” 

Dean just chuckled as Sam announced that the next round of bacon was ready. He hurried over and grabbed a few pieces, skirting out of Cato’s way when he was done. Dean looked around the room and his eyes settled on Cass. “C’mon, angel. House rules. You gotta eat somethin’.” 

Cass shook his head because he  _ really _ might barf, smiling slightly at Dean. “I’m okay, Dean. I promise.”

Dean sighed. “Cass, c’mon. Please? It’s not like we’re just gonna be sittin’ around the house all day. You need your strength if you’re comin’ with us, and that is  _ not  _ a negotiation.” 

Castiel closed his eyes for a moment but nodded nonetheless. “Okay, Dean.” He stood and moved to the main area in the kitchen, grabbing a plate. He grabbed two pieces of toast, some bacon and a pancake, sitting back down on the stairs as he began to eat. 

It was a loud, slow process, but eventually the food disappeared into their stomachs and all that remained was coffee. Dean cleared his throat, looking uncharacteristically nervous, and stood up. 

“Alright, so uh… yeah. Today’s the day. We either turn the tide of this war or we go down swingin’. Does  _ anybody  _ have second thoughts about goin’?”

Around the room, eight other people shook their heads. Dean nodded at them and continued. “Okay then, I guess we’re all set. Now, there will be eleven of us heading out on this trip, including Sirius in his Animagus form. That means we gotta be careful and we gotta be smart. Just a reminder, it’ll be me, Cass, Cato, Sirius, Bobby, Charlie, Jo, Molly, Newt, Peter and Cinna headin’ out there. Sam, you, Alyssa and the others will hang back. Chuck, Donna, Effie and the other professors we’ve got on our side chose to hang back at Hogwarts, so we’ll have two teams at Azkaban and two off site if shit goes south. Hopefully, at least one of the four teams will make it outta this to finish the damn job.” Dean fell silent for a moment as his eyes softened, and then his face hardened once more. “We split the Azkaban crew into two groups, and we’ll stagger the entrances. Don’t take your potions until you’re right outside the gates - I don’t have any idea how long this’ll take and we can’t risk it wearin’ off in front of a Death Eater or a Dementor. That’s another thing, how long has it been since most of you have even cast a Patronus?” 

Everyone stayed quiet. Castiel’s eyes darted around the room and he was taken back to Purgatory in his mind, shivering slightly. The escape attempts were the last time he’d seen most of these people use their Patronuses.

Dean frowned when no one spoke up. “That wasn’t rhetorical, guys. When was the last time? I need to know what we’re working with, here.” A few people spoke up, but the general consensus was that it’d been awhile for most. Dean stiffened but nodded. “Alright, no big deal. With any luck, we won’t even need ‘em. I’m thinkin’ that between the potions and these Dark Marks, the Dementors won’t even fuck with us.” 

Castiel scoffed under his breath because he knew that was wishful thinking. He stood up and moved more into the main area of the kitchen, leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed. “But they might, Dean. Isn't it better to be safe than sorry?”

“Of course it is, Cass. I’m not sayin’ we won’t give it a practice run before we go, but we’re fresh outta time here.” Dean opened his mouth again as if he was going to continue, but then clenched his jaw and looked to the table. After a moment, he spoke again. “I know I didn’t do a good job of preparing us for this, and I’m sorry for that. I’m gonna say this one more time. If anyone wants out, say it now. I’ll go myself if I have to, but I’m not takin’ a damn soul with me that doesn’t wanna go or doesn’t feel comfortable going.” 

Cato raised his eyebrows. “Always trying to keep all the fun for yourself, huh?” He shook his head and moved to stand beside Dean. “You’re not doing this alone, Winchester.”  
Sirius nodded in agreement and moved towards Dean as well. “What he said. We’ll have a better chance if we go in together.”

“My mum’s in there.” Molly crossed her arms and leveled a glare at Dean. “I’m going.”

After a few beats, everyone who had agreed to go to Azkaban had made their way across the room to join Dean. Castiel took a deep breath and walked over to them as well, completing the group of eleven. 

Dean looked at them all and didn’t seem to relax. “Alright, then. You guys have two hours to practice casting a Patronus, get your shit together, and uhh... say your goodbyes. Just in case.”

Castiel clenched his jaw and looked to the ground slightly as the kitchen cleared out. Eventually it was only him and Dean left. Castiel looked up again and shifted his attention to Dean. “You’re not forcing them, Dean. You’ve given them a chance to drop out, and no one took it.”

“I know that, angel. I do. It doesn’t make me feel any less responsible. I was so damn busy going on runs and hunts and shit that I didn’t even  _ think  _ about how far behind everyone was gonna get with training. And now that it’s show time, I just… I think I really fucked that up.” Dean shrugged and bit the inside of his cheek. “Too late now. They know what they’re headed into.” 

Cass watched him and shook his head. “Cato, Sirius, Bobby, Charlie… they all could’ve stepped up and helped train the others, but they didn’t. Why does it always have to  _ only _ be you? You’re not in this alone, Dean. You never have been, though I’m sure it may have felt like you have.”

Dean just shrugged again. “Just is what it is, Cass. C’mon, let’s go out back. We could probably use some practice, too.” 

Castiel nodded and pulled his wand out, heading to the back door. He opened it and stepped onto the porch, before descending the wooden stairs to the grassy lawn. He turned back to look at Dean. “You mean  _ I  _ could probably use some practice.”

Dean nearly smiled. “I meant us, as in together, because we haven’t flexed these twin cores in awhile. But sure, angel. You wanna think I’m pickin’ on you, I’m not really in the mood to fight about it.” 

Cass smiled lightly and nodded. “Yes, you’re right.” He looked to his wand and then back to Dean. “Are you ready?”

Dean gripped his own and nodded, sending his phoenix Patronus out and flying around the yard as Cass’s angel Patronus joined it. Castiel watched them fly together, believing he could feel the power radiating from them. He shifted his eyes to Dean. “It’s still mesmerizing to me.”

Dean actually smiled this time. “Yeah, me too. Let’s hope they’re as badass in action as they are just flyin’ around the backyard.” 

Cass nodded in agreement, crossing his arms as he squinted up at the bright sky and the even brighter Patronuses. “Yes, we can only hope.”

_**Dean** : _

Two hours later, everyone met back in the kitchen. Dean’s nerves were frayed and he wished with everything in him that this day was already over. He’d been dreading this for months, and now that it was actually here, he was regretting ever suggesting it in the first place. He kept his face as neutral as possible and nodded to the group of people surrounding him. “I’ll take Cass, Cinna, Molly, and Jo. Cato, you take Bobby, Charlie, Newt, and Peter. Sirius, you’ll head out in Animagus form, try to just look like a stray. The closer you get without trippin’ alarms, the better. The goal is to get inside the prison and see how many - if any - of the prisoners you can get outta there. Stay low to the ground and as far away from the Dementors as possible for as long as possible, you hear me?” 

Sirius nodded. “Sure do, Dean, but you _do_ know that Azkaban is an island, right? It’s built on a cliff, on an island? How exactly am I supposed to look like a stray?” 

Dean frowned, because for some reason that hadn’t occurred to him at all. “Okay, maybe not a stray. Just stay outta sight as much as you can.” Sirius nodded and Dean relaxed. “Awesome, then let’s grab some chocolate and those potions and get this show on the road, you all know the plan.” 

They took a few minutes to gather what they needed and double-check their weapons, and then they split up into their groups. Sirius came with Dean and the others as they Disapparated to the edge of the mainland. They mounted their brooms and said nothing to each other as they kicked off the ground and flew over the ocean separating them from Azkaban’s island. The closer they got, the higher Dean’s anxiety rose until it finally peaked as the prison came into view. The tension and fear ebbed away, replacing themselves with a quiet kind of resolve.  _ We either move forward, or we die. There is no in between.  _

They landed just outside the gates, perched precariously on the edge of the cliff that Azkaban was built on. Dean pulled out the flagon of Polyjuice Potion and swirled it in his hand. He watched as the others in his group did the same, and one by one they knocked back the potions. For a few moments, the sound of bodies rearranging themselves in horrible cracks and groans was all that could be heard, and then he had to brace himself as he suddenly stood in the middle of a group of Death Eaters.  _ Relax, Dean. These are your friends, your family. These Death Eaters are dead. This is what we prepped for.  _

He locked eyes with the Death Eater Lucifer and waved him over as Sirius took his animal form and bounded towards the prison. It took Castiel a second to convince his foreign body to move, but he closed the gap between them and nodded to Dean. “You look exactly like Alastair.” 

“Yeah, Cass - uhh, I mean… Lucifer. I get it. Trust me, better me than one of you.” He flicked his eyes around to the others as he subconsciously raised a hand to his throat, the memory of being chokeslammed by Alastair still too fresh in his mind. “Alright, while we’re here, we’re Alastair, Lucifer, Ramiel, Eve, and Dagon. You guys got that?” Cass, Cinna, Molly and Jo each nodded in turn when Dean called out the name of the Death Eater they were impersonating. He straightened his robes and nodded once, pocketing his wand and attempting to stand with the same, irritating air of confidence and power that he’d seen Alastair exude. True to their plan, they took turns inflicting bruises and cuts on each other. After each member of their party looked sufficiently like they’d been beaten up, he took a single shaky step forward and then relaxed his gait, strolling right into Azkaban. 

He was relieved to discover his assumption was correct, and the Dementors didn’t try to attack them when they entered. He felt Cass in Lucifer’s body walking much too close to him to be realistic, and so he staggered his steps until he was walking a respectable distance from him. 

“ _ Where have you been!”  _ Severus Snape’s voice came out like a snarl, and Dean turned quickly, fear spiking in his chest. 

He did his best to lower his voice like Alastair’s. “Those bastard Winchesters, Snape. They showed up at the safehouse while we were sleeping, and the next thing any of us knew we were tied up and gagged in the Shrieking Shack of all places.” 

Cass chimed in as Lucifer. “They put up some enchantments and we couldn’t do magic. Some of us were there for months before we finally escaped.”

Snape eyed them suspiciously. “A group of… children… kidnapped and held you against your will for months?” 

It was Cinna’s turn, and his impersonation of Ramiel was spot on. “Those  _ children  _ were a lot more powerful than the Dark Lord let on.” 

“Not to mention,” Molly shifted Eve’s body and lowered her tone of voice, “they had that moronic Headmaster on their side. He’s a pain in the ass if I’ve ever seen one.” 

Snape scowled. “How’d you get out, then? This story seems entirely unlikely.” 

Lilith’s buttery voice filled the room as Jo rounded off the very flimsy excuse they’d concocted. “At the end of the day, they were still just children. Easily manipulated little maggots, if you ask me. We convinced the tall, dumb one that it was inhumane to keep us locked up all the time and that we couldn’t go anywhere thanks to the wardings, and he actually untied Lucifer.” 

Cass nodded. “It didn’t take much after that to overpower them. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe you have Molly Weasley’s mother locked up here, yes? I think I owe her a visit, if you know what I mean.” The smirk that Cass plastered across Lucifer’s face made Dean’s stomach twist uncomfortably, but this had been part of the plan. 

“We haven’t let her go, if that’s what you’re suggesting.  _ Some  _ of us are actually competent.” Cass rolled Lucifer’s eyes and walked away at Snape’s words, and Dean prayed that he was going in the right direction. 

“We’re back to business as usual, Snape. That’s what matters.” Dean knew his Alastair impression wouldn’t hold up under much scrutiny, and he was eager to get far away from Snape as soon as possible.

“Then _get back to business, Alastair.”_ Snape’s words were short and clipped, and he turned on his heel and strode away.   
Dean let out a breath and turned to the three that were still with him. He dropped his voice as quiet as it would go and stepped in closer. “That was close. I’m gonna go after Cass, you three stick together, okay?” 

He received nods in response from Cinna, Molly and Jo and then he took off at a jog in the direction Cass went. 

He caught sight of Lucifer’s dirty blonde hair a couple of dozen yards ahead of him, and he didn’t slow his pace until he was standing next to him. “Cass, what are you…” Dean’s words died out as he followed Cass’s gaze into the cell and saw what could only be Molly’s mother, if the flaming red hair and splatter of freckles was any indication. She looked defeated and exhausted, and it was clear to Dean almost immediately that she had absolutely no idea there were two people standing right in front of her.

“We have to get her and all the others out of here, Dean.” Castiel’s voice was quiet as he reached Lucifer’s hand out to the bars. “She’s…” he closed his eyes for a moment, breathing out. “She’s in a catatonic state. Much like my mom always is. She won’t hear us, or see us. She’s trapped in her own mind, as are all the other people here.”

Dean swore under his breath. He had known it wasn’t going to be easy to execute a massive jailbreak from the most secure prison known to wizardkind, but he hadn’t counted on the prisoners being absolutely unable to help. In fact, a large part of his plan was centered around gaining the help of the prisoners as they freed them, increasing their army and therefore their chance of success. His brain worked quickly. “Alright, it’s okay. We can… we can still do this. It’s Escape Plan B all over again, Cass. Get them and Disapparate back to Sirius’s. Drop them and get back here as quick as you can, hopefully Sam will catch on to what’s going on. Get as many as you can out, okay? I gotta go find the others.” Dean dropped to his knees and pulled the bobby pin free from his waistband. He reached forward to attempt to pick the lock, but Castiel stopped him. 

“The doors aren’t locked, Dean. None of them are, and why would they be? These people can’t walk out of here on their own.” 

_ Finally, some good fucking news.  _ Dean stood and nodded quickly. “All the better, then. Get movin’, Cass. I’ll join you as soon as I find Cato.” He turned his body to leave but then stopped, moving to kiss Cass first. He held the kiss for as long as he dared and then took off at a run, doubling back the way he came. 

He was vaguely aware that the clock was ticking, and now the task of getting everyone out had become damn near impossible. He was full on sprinting by the time he located Azazel, who Cato had disguised himself as. He stopped in front of him, holding his side as he fought the stitch of pain. “Side-Along… Sirius’s house… go!” Dean gestured sort of wildy to the cells on either side of them, and hoped Cato got the hint as he gasped for breath. He was suddenly extremely pissed off at himself for choosing the body of an old man, and vowed to himself never again to complain about his muscles crying, because it was nothing compared to this. 

Cato seemed to catch on as he nodded quickly and turned, beginning to open cell doors. He opened three, collected the people inside, and Disapparated to where Dean only hoped was back to Sirius’s. Cato appeared again, empty handed, and nodded to Dean. “Go, Dean. There’s rows upon rows of prisoners, I can handle this one.”

Dean nodded to Cato then turned quickly and headed down another row. He made his way halfway down the row of cells, before he noticed two bodies lying limp at the end of the hallway. He approached them slowly, his jaw clenched when he realized who it was.  _ Lilith and Asmodeus - Charlie and Peter. Damnit.  _

He paused when a random Death Eater he didn’t recognize called out to him. “Alastair! What the hell happened to them?” 

Dean turned slowly to face the Death Eater behind him, trying to mask his shaky panic with something that resembled bored disinterest. “I have no idea. I was doing a security sweep of the place and found them laying there.”

“Are they dead?” 

_ I sure as hell hope not.  _ “Who gives a shit? Those two were morons, they had absolutely no… finesse.” He waved his hand in the air and approached the bodies, kneeling next to them. He hoped his facial expression wouldn’t betray how quickly his heart was beating as he reached out a hand to Charlie’s neck, his index and middle fingers lining up where her pulse should be.  _ Should be. Should. There’s no pulse.  _ He swallowed and closed his eyes briefly as he confirmed the same was true for Peter. He could feel the fear and sadness threatening to rise up again, but he also knew that Charlie of all people would want him to carry on. 

“Well, Alastair? Are they dead or not? It’s not rocket science to find a fucking pulse.”

It took Dean a second to register the fact that the Death Eater was talking to him. “Huh?” He turned his head towards him and immediately snapped Alastair’s usual expression back on his face. “I was savoring the loss of another mudblood. They’re dead, both of them.” He stood in a swift motion. 

“Yeah, well, don’t. Deal with these bodies, I’m going to go and inform Snape. Watch out for anything strange, you hear me?”

Snape finding out something was going on was the last thing Dean needed, although judging by his dead friends, the Death Eater was already well aware. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. He dropped the Alastair facade. “Oh buddy, I’m not the one that should be watchin’ out.” He drew his wand quickly and uttered the Killing Curse as quietly as he could while still lacing it with enough intensity to be effective. He only grimaced slightly at the blinding flash of green light, but he wouldn’t spare a moment of remorse for a man that couldn’t even pretend to be upset that his supposed friends were dead. Dean, in a weird twist of cruel irony, couldn’t either, albeit for entirely different reasons. He didn’t have time to let these two new losses sink in. He took the deceased Death Eater’s advice and used the spell Chuck had taught him to Apparate bodies to another location and sent them to the Shrieking Shack, thinking that Sam and the others would have their hands full with the prisoners that were being taken there.  _ The prisoners! Shit.  _

Dean pivoted and started emptying out the corridor of cells, thankful that at the very least, he’d spent a great deal of time practicing Side-Along Apparition while on supply runs and hits. He was nearly to the end when he became acutely aware that his body was changing again. “Shit, shit, shit… not yet, no,  _ c’mon! _ ” Dean was begging the potion to hold out, but the cracking and rearranging of his bones told him he was out of time, and seriously out of luck. His robes were suddenly too small for him, as he was a few inches taller than Alastair. The fabric stretched and pulled at him as he once again started sprinting, stopping only twice to deliver more prisoners safely back to Sirius’s. He landed again and started running. 

Bobby rounded the corner, nearly knocking Dean off his feet. “Uh, Dean? I think we’ve got a problem.” He looked down at his robes that were equally as small, and then back to Dean. “What’re the chances we have more polyjuice at Sirius’s?”

Dean shook his head quickly. “Cass just started the batches we’re supposed to use for the Ministry. They’re nowhere near ready. We’re stuck and all that extra help I was bankin’ on just went down the tubes cuz none of these people even recognize their own fuckin’ names anymore. I think bein’ around the Dementors so much really fucked them up.” 

Bobby groaned but nodded. “Alright, well, we’re already this far, why stop now? I say we keep going, kill any Death Eater that gets in our way, and eat a  _ shit ton _ of chocolate.”

_ Chocolate!  _ “Bobby, you beautiful bastard! We brought enough to feed a hundred Gabe’s, start handing some out to the prisoners that look the least catatonic. Maybe it’s possible we salvage this plan after all.” Dean clapped Bobby on the shoulder and then fished some of the chocolate out of his pocket, taking a quick bite. “Get ahead of it, man. The second these Dementors realize we ain’t who we came in here as, all Hell’s gonna break loose.”

Bobby reached into his own pockets and grabbed some chocolate, nodding to Dean once more. “You go that way, I’ll go this way. We’ve gotta warn the other idjits of our new plan.” 

Dean took off in the direction Bobby pointed without wasting any more time. It didn’t take him long before he ran into two more Death Eaters, and Dean knew there was no point in trying to reason his way past them. He shot off two stunning spells, one after the other, and both of the Death Eaters fell to the ground in a heap. He didn’t see any of the others that he came with, but the cells in this particular block were still occupied, so Dean went to work getting them back to Sirius’s. When he finally reached the end of the row, he had to stop and double over. His exhaustion was mounting, and each time he had to Apparate with someone else, it just got worse. He had a vague idea of how big Azkaban was, and he found himself praying once again that the prison wasn’t as full as he was beginning to think. 

He still had a hand braced against the wall to support himself when he heard movement behind him. He gripped his wand and flung himself around in time to see a body jumping in front of him with an intelligible yell and another flash of green spell light. Dean’s eyes followed the body as it crumpled to the floor, and his breath caught in his throat as he realized it was Cinna. Dean’s body kicked onto autopilot, and his wand arm was raising almost of its own accord. The Death Eater he was aiming at was already two syllables into another Killing Curse, and Dean had a fleeting thought that he’d never be able to get a spell out to defend himself in time when he heard a snarl to his left, and then a giant black dog pounced on the Death Eater, knocking him to the ground and growling viciously as it latched onto the man’s neck and started dragging him away.  _ Sirius! _

Dean’s wand and attention snapped to the other Death Eater that had woken up. “ _ Avada Kedavra,  _ bitch!” 

The startled Death Eater collapsed and nearly crushed Cinna, but Dean kicked at the air to knock the body off course and away from his professor. He looked around wildly for any sign of Sirius or the Death Eater he simply should have killed instead of stunned, and then he dropped to his knees by Cinna’s body. “No, man… c’mon. I might not’ve been your biggest fan these days, but you’re… you’re Lenny fuckin’ Kravitz, Cinna. You can’t just  _ die.  _ Especially not for me, not like that. Not like  _ this.”  _ He knew, however, that he absolutely could  _ just die,  _ because he did. Dean choked down bile as he sent Cinna’s body to the Shrieking Shack with the others. He pushed himself clumsily to his feet and desperately wanted -  _ needed  _ \- to find Cass and make sure he was okay. 

He heard the distant sound of fighting and his heart sank. He squeezed his eyes shut and rifled through his memories for one happy enough to conjure his phoenix Patronus before he got too close to the Dementors and couldn’t manage it. He settled on the moment he figured out why his Gryffindor shirt was whizzing past his head in Purgatory, and shouted, “ _ Expecto Patronum!”  _ His phoenix shot out from his wand and hovered close to him. He looked at it, having no idea if what he was about to ask was even possible. “Take me to Castiel.” 

To his surprise and utter relief, his Patronus took off in the direction of the noise. Dean followed, tripping over his own feet a couple of times because this had all gone so wrong, so fast. He had no idea how he was supposed to tell Cass that Cinna died for him, but he also had no idea if Cass was even still alive at all.

He bounced off the wall when he took a turn too fast and he struggled to keep up with his phoenix. He noted that several cells were still full but he didn’t have time to stop for them, despite the way his instincts urged him to.  _ I’ll come back for you, I promise.  _ Two more turns had him scrambling to stop, because he’d finally reached the source of all the noise. Castiel and the others were in an all-out duel with the remaining Death Eaters, and the Dementors. 

_**Castiel** :  _

Castiel was almost - no, he  _ was _ certain that he’d never wished he could pull off the Killing Curse as badly as he did right then. Looking around at what had turned into a battle ground, he noticed that they were outnumbered. Between the Death Eaters and the Dementors, himself, Bobby, Jo and Molly were screwed. He didn’t know where Cato, Sirius, or Newt were, and Dean hadn’t returned since he left to tell the others about returning the prisoners to Sirius’s. 

He was drawn from these thoughts when he was forced backwards by a Knockback Jinx, which made him stumble and fall on his back. Castiel sat up quickly and pointed his wand at the Death Eater that was responsible and exclaimed “ _ Stupify!”  _ The Death Eater crumpled to the floor unconscious, but not dead, as Castiel shoved some more chocolate in his mouth. He winced as he forced himself to his feet before he noticed a Patronus that was shining just a little bit brighter than any of the others. He turned to the door quickly and let out an audible sigh of relief when he saw Dean and realized he was okay.

Castiel moved as fast as his sore body would let him, holding onto the wall as he made his way over to Dean. “Dean! Are you - are you alright?”

Dean grabbed Cass and pulled him into a one-armed hug, his other arm extending over Cass’s shoulder as he yelled the Killing Curse. “ _ Avada Kedavra!”  _ He lowered his voice but held Cass close. “I’m alive, angel. I’m glad to see you are, too.” Dean shot off another spell over his shoulder and then loosened his grip.

Castiel nodded quickly and then turned again. “I don’t know what happened. We were fine and then… and then the Dementors showed up, and the amount of Death Eaters tripled. Have you seen anyone else? Peter? Cato? Cinna?  _ Anyone _ ?”

Dean got a far away look in his eyes, but briefly focused them on Castiel. “Charlie, Cinna, and Peter are safe. Last time I saw Sirius he was draggin’ some dickbag off by the throat.” Once again, Cass got pulled roughly to Dean’s chest, but this time, Dean was tackling him to the ground. A split second later, a blast of red spell light slammed into the wall just behind where their heads were moments before, the explosive force enough to blast a giant hole clean through. 

Castiel took a moment to catch his breath. “Thank you, Dean.” When he stood up, his eyes scanned the room again. Jo was battling a Death Eater in the corner of the room, Bobby was dealing with two of his own, but Molly… “Molly!” Castiel urged his feet to move as he sprinted towards Molly’s body.

When Castiel reached her he fell to the ground and pulled her into his lap, beginning to sing the countercurse to the  _ Sectumsempra  _ spell that had left Molly torn to shreds and bleeding out. As he sang, his mind drifted to all the times he’d seen this curse used before, and how they always managed to reverse it.

Molly gripped his arm with surprisingly little strength. “Cass, Cass… don’t. Don’t, sweetie. It’s too late.” Cass could tell that each word was a struggle, and she was fighting to keep her eyes from closing for good. 

Castiel fought back his tears, shaking his head. “No, no it’s not. I can do it, I can. Just… just hang on, okay? Just stay with me.”

She clutched his wand hand and coughed. “Please, Castiel. Just… please tell me you saved my mum.” 

Castiel  knew it was too late. He hadn’t gotten to her in time and now it was too late. The idea of saving Molly crept out of his mind and he was now focused on trying to keep her as comfortable as possible when she took her last breath. _She deserves that much_. “She’s safe, Molly. She was one of the first ones we rescued.”

Molly smiled weakly and let out a desperately shallow breath. “Kick their fucking asses, Castiel.” She squeezed his hand once more, and then her eyes closed and her body went slack in his arms. 

For a moment he couldn’t move, and the tears that had threatened to spill earlier finally did. He was frozen with fear and sadness, and so many other emotions that all of a sudden he was struggling to breathe.

Thoughts of his Dad being dead filled his mind, and how he’d found out about both his grandmother’s and his father’s passing in a single letter. Thoughts of his Mom not recognizing him or seeming to care about him followed, and he slowly felt more and more like he was drowning. It took him a minute to realize that this wasn’t just his head… it was being urged on by a Dementor that had made its way over to him. 

He swallowed hard and tried to keep his eyes open, reaching for his wand. Once he finally grabbed it, he held it tight. “ _ Expecto Pa… expect… ex…”  _ but he couldn’t get the words out. He knew this was it. His fight was over.  _ You won’t be slowing Dean down anymore, right? You won’t be there to mess up the simplest tasks or not be able to take care of yourself. This is probably for the best.  _

“ _ Expecto Patronum! _ ” Cass squinted his eyes as the half-destroyed section of the prison they were in was filled with a blinding gold and silver light. He heard a few muffled screams over the sound of his own terrifying thoughts, but Dean’s voice cut through them all. “Son of a…” He sounded surprised, and Castiel took a shuddering breath as the Dementor released him. It screeched as it slinked away from the incredibly large, insanely bright Patronus that was flapping not two, but…  _ six  _ giant wings at it. Cass scampered to his feet and hurried to Dean as his thoughts began to clear, and Dean shoved a piece of chocolate in Cass’s mouth without either of them taking their eyes off of the Patronus in front of them. The atmosphere in the room was changing quickly, and instead of drowning, Cass now felt a little bit like he was floating. 

“Is that… a fucking  _ thunderbird?”  _ Yes, it was definitely surprise in Dean’s voice. 

Between his own surprise and the chocolate in his mouth, Cass couldn’t bring himself to answer. It was Newt who looked over from the center of the room, nodding once to Dean. “It’s a thunderbird, yes. Now do you understand why I couldn’t release it before?”

Dean nodded sort of like a bobblehead next to Cass. “Yeah, man. Holy  _ shit  _ that thing is huge!” 

Cato came up behind Dean. “That’s what she said, but uh… I hate to break this to you guys - this shit ain’t over yet.” Cato smacked Dean in the back of the head. “You can pop a fuckin’ boner later, we’ve still got Death Eaters to take care of.” 

Castiel swallowed the chocolate and felt immediately better. “We can round up Jo and Newt and take care of the rest of them. Molly didn’t…” he cleared his throat and begged himself to stay strong, “Molly’s dead.”

“Jo’s gone too, one of those sick fucks sucked her soul right out of her mouth. It was nasty.” Cato shuddered and then took off towards Bobby, who was now in a one-on-one duel with Severus Snape. 

Dean turned to Cass. “We need to move.” Dean ducked past Newt, who was still guiding his thunderbird Patronus around the room, keeping the Dementors at bay. Dean took off towards the only other Death Eater left besides Snape, and the two were lost in flashes of light. 

Cass ran down to Newt and conjured his angel Patronus, turning his back to his friend to cover the other side. He had a clear view of the others, and it looked like their side was holding their own for a few minutes. Cass’s stomach dropped abruptly and his Patronus fizzled out completely as Bobby was hit square in the chest by Snape’s spell. His friend and arguably one of the two reasons that he and Dean had survived in Purgatory staggered back a few steps and fell through the hole that was created earlier. His body fell out of sight as he went over the cliff, his eyes wide and unseeing. 

Castiel couldn’t take his eyes off of the spot where Bobby had disappeared, and his body jerked in shock when he heard Cato let out a primal scream. Somewhere in his sluggish brain, he equated the sounds that followed to those of a melon being repeatedly hit with a hammer, not that he was sure he’d ever heard such a thing. 

Dean was screaming for Cato to stop, but the sounds just became less frequent. When Cass finally managed to turn towards the noises, Cato and Dean were both splattered with blood, and Snape was on the ground. Or, at least Cass assumed it was Snape, because his skull was crushed to the point that his face was unrecognizable. Cato had a wild, almost feral look in his eyes and fear for Dean sparked Cass’s nerves back to life. Dean grabbed Cato and the two Disapparated, but Castiel barely had time to fully process that before Dean was back, standing right in front of Cass. 

“Angel, please, I need you to focus.” Dean grabbed Cass’s shoulders and attempted to make eye contact. “Please. I’ll help Newt keep these soul-sucking fucks away from you guys, but I need you and Sirius to get the rest of the prisoners out of here as fast as you can. We don’t have a lotta time here, Cass. Please.” 

Castiel stepped back from Dean and doubled over, vomiting up his breakfast. After taking a moment to semi-compose himself, he let out a deep breath and just nodded to Dean. He took off towards the big, black dog that was Sirius.

\------------------------

Castiel was exhausted from running up and down the dimly lit corridors, freeing the prisoners. After he had successfully rescued the last few, he made his way back to Dean and Newt. “It’s… done…”

Sirius walked in a few seconds after him, and Dean nodded to both of them. There was sweat pouring down his face and his arms were shaking, and Newt was even worse off. “Go, go, I’ll be right behind you, Newt.” 

It didn’t look like Newt needed to be told twice. His thunderbird disappeared, and then so did he. The darkness thickened with the lack of Patronuses, and the Dementors that had been beat back by the corporeal apparitions started descending upon them again. Dean launched himself at Cass and Sirius, and a split second later, Cass was falling onto the ground in Sirius’s living room. Sirius stood up quickly, but Dean stayed where he landed on the carpet, his breathing nothing short of ragged. “Cass… angel, tell me you’re alright.” 

_I’ll tell you what you want to hear._ “I’m okay, Dean.” He hoisted himself up and groaned quietly, shifting his eyes back to Dean. “Can you walk? We should move to the kitchen, I believe Sam made -”  
At the mention of his name, Sam bursted into the room, panic written all over his face. “Dean! Cass! Sirius! Oh, thank god.”

Dean didn’t lift his head. “That son of a bitch had nothin’ to do with it, Sammy.” He screwed up his face and grunted as he sat up, leaning back against the couch. He looked lost for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed as he scanned the room. “I’m guessin’ Cato did his job then, huh? Chuck came and got the survivors?” 

Sam nodded as he moved to help Dean. “Yeah, he did, but Cato didn’t come back. He went to get Chuck and he didn’t come back with him.” He shook his head quickly. “There’s hot chocolate in the kitchen, Alyssa made a shit ton. Come on.”

Dean’s jaw flexed. “If Cato didn’t come back, I gotta go get him. He’s…” Dean took Sam’s outstretched hand and stood up, wincing. “He’s gonna do somethin’ stupid, Sammy. I can feel it.” 

Castiel’s eyes widened. “What? Dean you- you can’t go anywhere. You’re in no shape to move around after all of that. Sirius and Bobby can -” he paused and looked to the ground. “Sirius can go and find him. He can get to the castle the fastest.”

Sirius nodded in agreement and looked to Dean. “Yeah, Winchester. You look like shit. I can handle this one.”

“He’s…” Dean gripped tighter to Sam’s arm, a pained expression on his face. “He ain’t at the castle, Sirius. I’d bet my ass he went after his dad.”

“You sure your boyfriend will be cool with it when you lose your ass, Winchester?” Cass whipped his head towards the kitchen and saw Cato leaning against the doorframe, a mug of hot chocolate in his hands. He looked…  _ bored.  _ “ Somebody had to build the pyres.” 

Cass looked between Cato and Dean, and then looked around the room. “Where’s Charlie, Cinna and Peter?”

Dean opened his mouth but Cato cut him off. “Dead. Just like Bobby and Jo and uhh… what the hell was that ginger’s name? Molly? Yeah, Molly. I _ thought _ I built six pyres.” He took a slow sip of his hot chocolate.

“Dude, what the  _ fuck  _ is your problem tonight?” Dean finally let go of Sam in favour of taking an almost aggressive step towards Cato. “We were  _ all  _ there, and you don’t see us actin’ like dicks. Those people were our friends, could you at least pretend to show some fuckin’ respect?” 

Cato shrugged and walked past them, ascending the steps and disappearing out of view.

Castiel’s eyes hadn’t left the ground, his jaw clenched slightly.  _ Dead. They’re all dead. You sacrificed yourself for Charlie and she died anyway. Molly died in your arms. You didn’t even see Jo. Bobby fell off a goddamn cliff. What about Peter and Cinna? _ He looked up finally and shifted his eyes to Dean. “I think I’m going to shower and lay down.” He looked around the room once more and then turned, heading to the staircase. 

_**Dean** : _

Dean didn’t have it in him to try and stop Castiel. Everything in him was on fire, and it was an effort to even turn his head towards his brother. “We got ‘em, Sammy. Every last prisoner in Azkaban, including the fuckin’  _ real  _ Minister of Magic. Snape’s dead, too, as are about a dozen other Death Eaters.” 

Sam nodded to Dean. “You have no idea how proud I am of all you guys. You pulled off something huge today.”

“We lost six people, Sam.  _ Six.  _ We damn near all died. If Newt’s Patronus wasn’t such a fuckin’ beast, we might have.” He glanced towards the stairs. “Cato might look calm, but I promise you, he ain’t. He beat Snape to death. I mean, just brutal, Sammy. There was barely anything left of the guy’s head. And Cass?” He shook his head, exhaustion and sadness radiating through him. “I don’t think he can take another hit.” 

“What about you, Dean?” Sam asked, his voice laced with concern. “You should get some rest. A shower too.”

Dean knew Sam was right, and that he should probably be more concerned about himself than he actually was. He attempted a cheeky smile. “You tryin’ to say I stink? I held a damn Patronus for over an hour, I’m surprised I’ve got any sweat left.” 

“My point exactly.” Sam nodded. “I can take care of whatever is left to take care of. We should… uh… the funerals. Get a nap in and I’ll wake everyone up in four hours for that.”

For the first time in his life, Dean was absolutely sure that four hours of sleep wouldn’t be sufficient. But he also knew that he owed it to every single one of them to be there when their bodies burned. “Yeah, Sammy. Sounds good. There’s uhh… salt, gas and matches in the trunk of the car if you don’t wanna use magic.” 

Dean forced his feet to move, and every step that he climbed felt like a battle all on its own. He made it to the top of the stairs and swayed on his feet, bracing a hand against the wall. He listened for the sound of the shower, but didn’t hear it. He allowed his eyes to close briefly as he braced himself for whatever he was going to find in their bedroom, and then pushed open the door. “Angel, you here?” 

Castiel was in sweatpants and a t-shirt, laying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. He turned his head in the direction of Dean when he heard him. “I’m here, Dean. Are you okay?”

He opened his mouth to lie, and found he couldn’t force the words out. “No, Cass. I uhh… I really don’t think I am.” He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over to unlace his boots. “I’m alive, if that counts for anything. Though you’re just gonna have to deal with the stench for a few hours, I’m pretty sure I’d just fall asleep in the shower.” 

Castiel watched him and then looked back at the ceiling. “It counts for a lot, Dean. I don’t care what you smell like, I’m just thankful you’re alive.”

After successfully getting his boots and socks off, he pivoted and laid on the bed. “Yeah? I can’t really say the same right now.” His hand fell heavily on Cass’s and he fumbled to lace their fingers. “I’m so damn tired of this shit, Cass.” 

Castiel’s voice came out tired, nodding. “I know, Dean. I am too.” His eyes closed, letting out a shaky breath at the same time.

Dean rolled onto his side and gently pulled Cass to him. “One more, angel. We’re so close. One more fight, then we can finally rest, okay? Just one more.” 

Castiel nodded again, staying quiet for a moment, before he spoke softly. “Did you know they were dead?”

Dean’s stomach dropped, and he was convinced in that moment that this was singlehandedly the worst day of his life. He’d planned on telling Cass the truth the following day, not when they were both so desperately exhausted and in need of each others’ comfort. But he wouldn’t lie, not again. “Yeah, angel. I did. Uhh… I found Peter and Charlie layin’ on the ground not long after I left you. And uh, Cinna, he… he saved my life. Took  _ avada kedavra  _ right to the chest for me. I didn’t tell you because I knew how bad things were already for you, and didn’t wanna add more bullshit to your plate when we were fighting a prison full of the worst creatures that walk the earth.” He had to hope that was enough.

Castiel tensed slightly, staying silent as he processed everything. After a moment he spoke again, his voice quiet. “Okay, Dean. Sleep now.”

He knew something was off. The realization of it crept into his bones and settled there like a nightmare, but his body was giving up on him. Holding a Patronus for five minutes in a well-lit area devoid of Dementors was hard enough. How he and Newt had managed to do it for so long and surrounded by so many, he didn’t know. All he knew was that when Sam woke him up in four hours, it was going to be to a whole other kind of hell. 


	37. Fear of the Dark

_ **Dean:** _

Four hours was  _ definitely  _ not enough. Sam woke him up, true to his word, but Dean had never been less awake. His muscles protested every movement, and his mind was struggling to even keep up with the most basic of things. He had to work too hard to convince his eyes to open, and even when they half-heartedly obliged, his vision was too blurry to actually see anything. When his body gave up… it gave up. 

Cass’s voice sounded like it was trying to weave its way through a river of mud to reach his ears, but Dean was fairly certain that he wanted Dean to actually move. He shook his head and groaned, rolling over and burying his face in the pillow. “Can’t. Too soon.” 

Sam’s voice was clearer as he spoke from the doorway. “Dean, come on. It’s time to burn the bodies.” 

He exhaled into the pillowcase and paused for a heartbeat longer before pushing himself up in a swift but clumsy movement. He’d fallen asleep still dressed from head to toe in the clothes he wore to Azkaban, so it only took a few moments to wrestle his socks and boots back on his feet and stagger towards the door. 

“Dean, seriously, man… are you good?” Sam gripped the back of Dean’s arm, and Dean was grateful for the stability it offered him. 

“Yeah, Sammy. M’ good. Let’s uhh… let’s get this over with.” He let his brother lead him out of the room and to the kitchen, where he was gifted a tall travel mug filled with hot chocolate. 

“I figured you might want caffeine, but at the same time, you need to recover from those Dementors, so… chocolate won.” 

Dean gave Sam a grateful nod and took a sip, relishing the way the warm liquid burned down his throat and heated up his bones. A couple more sips had him feeling steadier on his feet, and when he felt confident in his own ability to walk, he opened the back door and descended the porch steps. 

The six pyres were already lined up with the bodies of his friends and comrades laid carefully on top of them. He noticed Cato standing over one of them, and walked up next to him. He looked down to see Bobby, and his gut twisted horribly. “He saved my life, y’know. In Purgatory? More than once.” 

Cato didn’t say anything, and that was fine with Dean. He hadn’t been looking for a response anyway. He just wanted to make sure that somebody somewhere knew that Dean would have been dead if it wasn’t for the growing list of people that they’d lost. 

He tore his eyes away from Bobby’s body to see the rest of the survivors slowly trickle out of the house. They stood in a semi-circle around the pyres, and Dean noted the salt and gasoline cans that were placed in front of Charlie’s. Dean grabbed one of the sets of each and went to work, pouring each substance over the bodies of Bobby, Charlie and Cinna. Sam had grabbed the other set and did the same for Peter, Jo, and Molly. He set the containers back down and moved over by Castiel, and Sam pulled out his wand. 

Dean, Cass, Alyssa, Newt, and Cato all did the same, and then each of them ignited a pyre. Dean was thankful that no one seemed to be in the mood for a monologue, because as much as Dean believed that his fallen friends deserved a proper send-off, he truly didn’t think he could handle it. He didn’t care if it was selfish. Just being alive at this point was selfish, when so many others had died. 

Cass stood next to him with a hard expression, and once again, Dean found himself worried for him. He reached down and took his hand, lacing their fingers and watching the way the fire sent his features into sharp relief. Cass looked tired, to be sure, but there was also something else there now. Determination seemed to replace the fear that he’d seen on his face for years now. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or afraid, and if he really thought about it, he supposed he was a little of both. 

They watched the pyres burn down until Dean was falling asleep on his feet. He snapped awake when Sam spoke from approximately a foot and a half in front of him. “We need to figure out where we go from here, and then you can go back to sleep.” 

“No, he needs to sleep. He didn’t even need to be awake for this, he’s suffered enough tonight. Let him go to sleep.” Cass’s voice was rough and held an edge to it that Dean hadn’t heard in a while. 

“No, Cass… ‘sokay. Really. M’ okay.” Dean wasn’t okay, but Sam was right. They’d gotten this far and now it was time for the final push, and he at least needed to address some safety concerns with the others. He turned and pulled Cass inside with him, stopping in the kitchen. He’d left his hot chocolate outside and knew he didn’t have the energy to go get it, so he poured himself a glass of whiskey instead. 

When everyone was seated, Dean looked at each of them in turn. He studied their faces - how tired they looked, how hollow their eyes appeared. “Okay, guys. I know it’s late and everybody wants to get to bed, so I promise I’ll make this quick and painless. From now on, nobody leaves this house alone. I’d prefer groups of three to be safe, but at least take one other person with you. Voldemort’s gonna realize just how serious we really are after tonight, so he won’t be holding back anymore.”

“You call what he’s done so far  _ holding back?”  _

“Yeah, Sirius, I do. Voldemort’s got the power to wipe us all off the map pretty much whenever he pleases. I think the only reason he hasn’t is because he was refusing to see us as any kind of a real threat. I mean, sure… we escaped Purgatory and knocked over a couple of his safehouses. Tonight, we freed…” Dean paused and looked at Sam. “How many showed up?”

“Eighty-two, Dean.” Sam gave him a tired smile, and Dean returned it. 

“...Eighty fucking two people. Not to mention all the Death Eaters we wasted in the process,  _ and  _ we robbed him of the Dementors. There’s no way they’ll keep followin’ him if he can’t promise a steady stream of soul-food.” He took a sip of his whiskey and relished the burn. 

“That’s how Jo died, right?” Alyssa asked, her voice quiet. “A Dementor’s Kiss or whatever it’s called?”

Dean nodded, his gaze dropping to the floor just in front of Alyssa’s feet. “Yeah. Nobody could get to her in time.” 

Castiel tensed, his jaw clenched slightly. “Because I was too busy trying to save someone who was past the point of saving. I should’ve realized that, Jo may still be alive.”

“No, you couldn’t have saved her. Trust me, I tried.” Cato spoke quietly with his arms crossed in front of him. “And no offense, Novak, but I’m a way better fighter than you are.” 

Dean cleared his throat. “It doesn’t matter, guys. We’ve all got regrets from that battle, and the bottom line is that we can’t bring a damn one of ‘em back.” 

Castiel shot Cato a glare, and moved to pour himself some whiskey too. He sipped it and then breathed out deeply, leaning against the wall again. “Okay, so now what? We attack again, right?”

“Things changed a little bit from the original plan. I wasn’t bankin’ on the people we saved bein’ mentally comatose, y’know? But I think with some time and a whole helluva lot of distance between them and Dementors, they’ll be good to go. We’re uh… we’re kinda lacking in numbers now. We’re gonna need as many people as we can get if we wanna stand a chance at actually retaking the Ministry.” Dean swayed slightly and reached out to grip the counter. “So, we bide our time until at least most of ‘em are back in fightin’ shape and then we take the fight to him.” 

Castiel mumbled something under his breath that Dean didn’t quite catch, before Sam spoke. “Okay, I think we understand the plan. You should lay down before you fall over.”

Dean didn’t have to be told twice. “Get some sleep while we can.” He turned to Cass and took a few steps forward. “C’mon, angel. Let’s go to bed.” 

Castiel glanced around once and then followed Dean, taking his hand as they climbed the stairs to their bedroom.

He didn’t have the energy to shower, but he also knew that he and Cass would both end up regretting it if he didn’t. He grabbed a clean pair of boxer briefs and his sweatpants, then went to the bathroom and showered as quickly as he could while still getting all of the blood and sweat off of him. When he was finished, he got dressed and crawled into bed with Cass. He pulled him to his chest and kissed his forehead. “What’d you say out there?” 

Castiel shook his head a little, licking his lips quickly. “It wasn’t important, Dean. I was just thinking out loud.”

That didn’t make him feel any better, but he was already rapidly sinking back into unconsciousness. If nothing else, he was safe for the night and so was Cass. He opened his mouth to tell Castiel that he loved him, but he was asleep before the first word left his mouth. 

**_Castiel:_ **

The last thing Cass planned on doing that night was sleeping. His brain was swimming with ideas and plans and he knew this wasn’t like him. He never spent time organizing these kinds of things, but to him it didn’t seem like he had much of a choice. Dean was exhausted, Cato was psychotic and nobody else would help him. He waited until he was absolutely positive Dean was asleep, and when his breathing finally evened out, Cass knew it was go-time. He gently kissed Dean before carefully sliding out of the bed. He quickly but quietly got dressed into some jeans, a black t-shirt, and his jacket, tucking his wand into his waistband. The room was lit just enough that he could make out Dean’s sleeping features as he stood by the doorway. He spared one last glance back at Dean and whispered, “I’m sorry”, before opening the door silently and stepping out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

_ Alright. You’ve gotten away from Dean, just avoid anyone else who may be awake still.  _ Before moving, Castiel listened for any signs of movement from the floor below him. When all he heard was the hum of the refrigerator, he breathed out and tiptoed down the stairs, doing his best to avoid the creaky boards. When he reached the bottom, he quickly turned and descended the stairs to the basement, entering their makeshift potions room. He grabbed a small, leftover vial of Polyjuice Potion that hadn’t had hair added to it, shoving it into his jacket pocket. He silently climbed back up the stairs and grabbed some chocolate from the cabinet in the kitchen, just in case, and stuffed it in his pocket before making his way to the front door. 

“ _ Alohamora,”  _ he whispered, and instantly the sound of the door unlocking was heard. He opened the front door and left, making sure to close the door behind him carefully so it wouldn’t slam. Once he was confident he was in the clear, he began sprinting down the street. Where he was going, he wasn’t sure just yet... but he needed to put as much distance between himself and Sirius’s house as he could. 

Despite how sore and exhausted he was, he continued running because the sheer determination in his mind had suppressed everything else.  _ I’m killing Voldemort, or I’m going down swinging.  _

He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a sound across the street. He heard it again and his eyes fell on a rattling tin garbage can. He drew his wand and set his jaw, when all of a sudden a large raccoon hissed at him from behind it and scurried away. Castiel let out a breath of relief and actually chuckled quietly to himself at the realization that he was now sure that every out of place noise was something that wanted to kill him. 

After a moment, he continued his journey; now at a quick walking pace instead of a sprint.  _ Find somewhere you can Apparate to Voldemort’s house at. Somewhere secluded. _

So that’s what he did. He stumbled upon an empty park, deciding this may be the best he’ll find. He sauntered through the wood chips and made his way behind the giant playplace, hoping he was hidden enough. He drew his wand and breathed out, focusing on Voldemort’s house. His mind traveled back to the last time he saw the front of Voldemort’s house, and his stomach clenched uncomfortably.  _ If it was going to be simple, somebody would have done it by now.  _ He squeezed his eyes shut after a brief second of hesitation, and Apparated to Voldemort’s house. 

Castiel stumbled slightly when he landed, looking around quickly when he realized where he was.  _ I did it. I’m here. _ Castiel’s heart rate sped up as he ran and hid behind the trunk of the huge, dead willow tree that stood tall outside of the mansion,

_ Come on, Castiel. Focus. This is your chance to prove to everyone that you’re not weak, useless, or sensitive. That you  _ **_can_ ** _ and  _ **_will_ ** _ take care of yourself. If you kill Voldemort, it’s all going to be over. Think about how proud Dean will be.  _

After his pep talk, he drew his wand and sleuthed across the front lawn and up the front steps. For the second time that night, he whispered “ _ Alohamora.”  _

The locks on the grand entrance door clicked, much to Cass’s surprise, and Castiel swallowed hard. He wasn’t really expecting the door to open, but it made sense. Voldemort was arrogant, he probably never assumed someone would be stupid enough to try and break in. Sirius’s last recon mission revealed that Flickerman had been staying at Voldemort’s. Cass hoped it was due to the fact that yet again, he’d been bested by Team Free Will and Voldemort was keeping him close as punishment. He double-checked his pocket for the vial of Polyjuice Potion. 

He took a shaky breath and reached for the handle to the door, opening it quietly. He stepped into the main entrance and wasn’t sure whether he was relieved or terrified that the house was dark.  _ They must be sleeping, right? This will be a lot easier if they’re sleeping. _

Castiel took a moment and looked around the house, realizing it hadn’t changed much from the last time he was there. He had stayed on the main floor the first two times, so the large, spiraling staircase in front of him would lead to uncharted territory. His eyes followed it up and he decided this was his best shot. He gripped the railing as he carefully climbed, trying to keep his steps as light as possible because he didn’t know if and where the stairs were creaky.

When he reached the top of the stairs, his eyes scanned the view in front of him, left to right. He noticed many rooms, all with closed doors, and then one to the very right which was open slightly. He turned and made his way to the open room, not daring to use his wand for light. 

He peeked his head through through the crack in the door and instantly realized it was Voldemort’s bedroom.  _ What other psychopath would have their bed posts carved out of wood to look like snakes? Snakes. Snake. Nagini. Fuck. _ Castiel had been so focused on his mission of killing Voldemort that he had forgotten about the very large snake that would also stand in his way.  _ Well, I suppose an evil bastard and an evil snake are dying today.  _

Castiel didn’t linger in the doorway for too long. The bed was empty, which meant Voldemort wasn’t asleep.  _ What’re the chances that he’s just not home right now? Next to none, probably.  _

He turned on his heels and decided his best bet was to start checking the other rooms. He opened the one directly next to Voldemort’s bedroom, finding an ordinary bathroom. 

Cass didn’t dwell there for too long, and silently closed the door and moved to the next room. He opened it and instantly cringed at the smell protruding from it. He gagged soundlessly and closed that door because Voldemort was decidedly  _ not  _ in that room. 

The next three rooms he checked consisted of something that looked like a library, an empty room, and what seemed to be a storage closet. He sighed in frustration and checked the last room.

He opened the door and stepped forward, his foot connecting with a particularly squeaky board. It was much louder than Castiel was prepared for and he grimaced, turning to look behind him for any signs of movement. He relaxed a little bit when it seemed he was fine and walked further into the very dark room. 

This time he knew he needed his wand to help him. Holding it in front of him, he whispered, “ _ Lumos.” _ The tip of his wand lit up in a bright light and Castiel moved it around the room, turning in a full circle.

His heart essentially stopped when he heard, “Castiel, hello. What a wonderful surprise.” The room lit up around them and Castiel stumbled backwards when he realized he was face to face with Caesar Flickerman.

Before Castiel even had a moment to process what was happening, he was thrown across the room, crashing into a bookshelf. He groaned and blinked his eyes open as books fell and landed on him and all around him. When he focused his eyes in front of him, he was met with the sight of Flickerman standing a few feet from him. He looked around and realized he was currently in Flickerman’s bedroom, and judging by the clothes Caesar was wearing, he must’ve just woken up. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to bust into other people’s homes?” 

“You didn’t seem to have a problem doing it at the Purgatory house, now did you?” Castiel grimaced, realizing he was wasting precious time and if Voldemort was home, he definitely would’ve heard that. Flickerman stepped towards Castiel and was rattling on about that being totally different from what Castiel had done, but throughout his entire spiel Castiel had one thing on his mind:  _ The Killing Curse. This is your last chance to get it right, or you’re going to die right here.  _

He retrieved his wand and was relieved to see it was still fully intact. Flickerman was pacing now and had said something about Voldemort not being pleased when he returned. Castiel slowly and quietly pushed himself to his feet, mustering up all the strength he had in him. “Flickerman?”

Caesar’s head snapped to him. “I’m speaking, Castiel.”

“Yes, well, I frankly don’t give a flying fuck.” He narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw, letting all of the hatred he had for that man flood his body. “ _ Avada Kedavra!” _

A blinding green light filled the room and Castiel had to squint before Flickerman fell to the ground, unmarked - but unmistakably dead. Castiel was breathing heavily and he chalked it up to adrenaline pumping through his veins. 

_ You did it! You killed him! Fucking move, do something!  _ Castiel’s feet carried him towards Flickerman’s dead body and he bent down and plucked some hair from Flickerman’s head. He pulled the vial of Polyjuice Potion out of his pocket and dropped the hairs in, waiting a few moments before drinking the potion. 

His body began to change, and  _ all _ of him was suddenly much larger than it was before. His robes were ridiculously small, but it didn’t matter. All he had to do was switch his own robes with Flickerman’s. His stomach churned when he realized Flickerman was in pajamas and not robes, but realized it was still the middle of the night. He moved quickly and tried to ignore the fact that he just saw Caesar Flickerman naked as he pulled on the pajamas that indeed fit him much better.

Castiel couldn’t believe he had just pulled that off. He’d never been able to do the Killing Curse before, but he managed it in the time he needed it most. He supposed that after everything they’d been through, he finally had the motivation needed to do more than knock someone out with that spell.

“Caesar! What was that noise?!” 

Castiel swallowed hard when Voldemort’s voice cut through the air and the grand front door slammed.  _ Fuck.  _ He quickly moved and shoved Flickerman’s body and Cass’s old robes under the bed, making sure none of him was visible. The sound of Voldemort’s heavy footsteps were heard climbing the stairs, the panic in Castiel’s chest rising.

“I believe I asked you a -,” Voldemort snapped, his voice cutting off as he caught sight of the fallen bookshelf. “What happened?”

Cass bit back the fear that threatened to overtake him and clenched his fist around his wand. “It fell over.” 

Voldemort narrowed his eyes. “It…  _ fell. _ ”

Castiel waved his wand and repaired the bookshelf. “Yes, and now it’s fixed.” 

Voldemort thankfully didn’t press him. “Where are we on finding those idiot kids?” 

Castiel tried to keep as much of a ‘Flickerman’ stance as he could. “We’ve been searching, but haven’t found much. Not since Winchester and Cato were spotted at Diagon Alley.”

He cocked his head to the side. “This is why you’ve been demoted, Flickerman. Those two destroyed Azkaban prison a few hours ago, but no matter. By the time I’m finished, I’ll murder everyone they’ve ever loved.” 

Castiel tried not to tense.  _ Not if I murder you first, bitch.  _ “I know you will, my lord. I’ll be here to help you throughout it all. Nobody wants those… insolent little maggots dead more than I do.”

“Oh, but you’re wrong, Flickerman. Winchester and that pet Hufflepuff of his have been a pain in my ass since they volunteered. They’re trying to ruin me, but I assure you… I am more than prepared for them.” 

Castiel tilted his head to the side slightly. “You know, my lord, I wouldn’t be so sure. Those children are… sneaky, to say the least. I believe they’re more capable than you think.”

Voldemort stared at him intently for a moment and then snarled. “Why are you hiding your thoughts from me, Caesar? Afraid of what I might find?” 

“Hiding them?”  _ That’s right. You can’t weasel your way into my head like you can everyone else’s. That’s why you didn’t realize I was Dean when I escaped Purgatory and that’s why you’re unable to realize that I’m not Flickerman at all. _ “I’m not hiding them, my lord. Maybe you’re just tired.”

Voldemort sneered. “Come with me,  _ Caesar.”  _ He turned on his heel and walked out of the room, and Cass followed him with his wand clutched in his hand. He led Cass down a flight of stairs that he hadn’t previously noticed, and when he got to the bottom step, a shiver ran down his spine. All of a sudden, he was swimming in the pajamas that had fit him perfectly just moments ago. “You must be…” Voldemort’s eyes roved down Cass’s body. “That Hufflepuff pet I was just talking about.” He took a step closer to Cass. “Where is Caesar, then?” 

Castiel bit back his fear and stood as tall as he possibly could. “Dead.”

Voldemort studied him for a moment and then laughed. “Perfect! Absolutely splendid. Of course, I was looking forward to watching the light leave his eyes, but no matter. Things happen for a reason, don’t they. You’re a… half-blood, yes? On your father’s side?” 

Castiel narrowed his eyes and backed up a step. “Why do you care? It doesn’t matter whether I’m a half-blood or not, you’re past the point of just killing muggles.”

“I only kill those who would stand in my way, Castiel. You and your friends have done a great deal of that in the last few years, and still… I persevere. It matters because I never got a chance to properly welcome you after you won your Games, although that was likely due to the fact that you were deceiving me then, as well. Isn’t that right? You took some Polyjuice Potion to look like Dean Winchester so the Black’s would take you in when you crossed through the portal?” 

“Does it frustrate you to know I’ve deceived you, Voldemort?” Castiel clutched his wand a little bit tighter. “To know that you have no way of getting into my head? To know that me and my friends  _ destroyed _ your prison. There’s not a single Death Eater left standing, and our Patronuses fought off the Dementors.” Castiel clicked his tongue. “Does it bother you to know that you’ve been bested by ‘children’, as you call us?”

Voldemort simply smiled. “Frustrate and bother me? On the contrary, Castiel. I am amused and perhaps even a little impressed by all that you and your friends have accomplished against me. I am far more curious, however, about what you could - and will - accomplish in my employment.” 

Castiel squinted at him. “I’ll never become anything like you are, you evil bastard. Crane, Snape, Flickerman, they’re all dead, and they’re not the only ones.” He paused for a moment, studying Voldemort’s face, “I’d rather kill myself than be enslaved by you.”

“Now, now, Castiel. There’s no need to be dramatic. You are already more like me than you know, and I’m sure that Caesar Flickerman would wholeheartedly agree with that at this present time. How many have you killed, Castiel? Just Caesar? More? Are you finished, or do you plan on killing again? These are questions that I think we both know the answer to.” Voldemort began pacing. “You won your Games, and now you are mine. I told you how this was going to go the first time you set foot in my house, and here we are.” 

Castiel watched Voldemort pace, raising his wand a little bit more every time Voldemort turned to go in the opposite direction. “I do plan on killing again, actually.”

Voldemort turned to look at him and held out his arms with a wicked smile. “Go ahead, Castiel, but be sure to aim true. I have been hit with sixteen Killing Curses throughout the last twenty years, all of which were cast by wizards far more powerful than you can dream to be. If you suddenly think you have what it takes after administering the curse for the first time, then I welcome you to try. But I warn you - if you fail, I will not be so forgiving.” 

Castiel’s courage faltered, but he swallowed his fear down quickly. He raised his wand even higher, filling his mind with everything Voldemort has put them through. Every single Mudblood Game, every death… everything. He was quickly filled with anger and determination again and if this didn’t work…  _ so be it.  _ He pointed his wand directly at Voldemort’s chest and said low, but clearly, “ _ Avada Kedavra! _ ”

The blast of green light hit home, and hope sparked in Castiel’s chest. That is, right up until the light faded and Voldemort was still standing exactly where he was. “You gave it your best shot, Castiel. I’m almost disappointed that it didn’t leave so much as a scratch, but I honestly shouldn’t have expected much better. Perhaps you’re not as gifted as I had hoped.” He straightened his robes out and pulled his own wand. “I think it’s my turn now, don’t you?” 

The fear that was once gone was now the only emotion Castiel could feel. He backed up a few steps, his own wand still raised. “ _ Protego Totalum.” _

Voldemort chuckled darkly and waved his wand with a sharp flick, and the shield charm Castiel had produced proved entirely ineffective. He was flung against the hard wall of the basement and his head smacked painfully against the concrete. Castiel took a moment to open his eyes, his vision blurred. He pushed himself to his feet, using the wall for support. 

“Such bravery, Castiel. Not many would get back to their feet mere moments before their death.” He flicked his wand again. “ _ Crucio.”  _

Castiel let out a violent scream and fell to the ground. He could tell his body was trembling, but he couldn’t control it. His lungs felt like they were on fire as he tried to take a deep breath, screaming out the words, “Fuck you!” He wasn’t sure if he actually called them, or if they were in his head because all he could focus on was how much pain he was in. He’d nearly died before, and it was nothing compared to this.

Another flick of Voldemort’s wand and the pain stopped. “The thought that mere children could beat me… it’s laughable, although there are some that seem to think that… what do you call yourselves? ‘Team Free Will’? That you actually stood a chance. I think, after Nagini is done feasting on whatever parts of your meager body are edible, that I will make an example out of you, Castiel. This has been a fortuitous meeting.” He jerked his wand upward and Cass was hoisted by his ankle into the air, barely keeping ahold of his own wand. He squirmed and tried to break free, but all he managed to do was swing uselessly in the air. He tried the countercurse to no avail, and then all movement ceased when he heard the unmistakable sound of a snake slithering across solid concrete.  _ No, no, no!  _

The snake raised its head to look Castiel in the eyes, it’s forked tongue uncurling from its mouth. “Nagini, spare the poison. I think I’ve changed my mind about what to do with our guest.” Castiel barely had time to flinch before white hot pain shot from the base of his neck all the way down to his toes. Nagini had bit him, and the scream hardly left his lips before the giant snake’s head was darting towards him again, and again, and again. 

Voldemort must have dropped the curse he was holding Cass in, because he abruptly crumpled to the ground in a mess of blood and sweat. He’d landed half on Nagini, and the snake hissed as she wrapped herself around Cass’s torso and began to squeeze. Cass’s fingers clawed at her, but her grip on him only tightened. “You should thank me, Castiel, for I am showing you mercy.” Cass tried to suck in air, but Nagini was coiled around him so tightly that he was sure his ribs would crack at any moment. “I could have killed you and your friends a thousand times. You are only alive because I  _ allow  _ you to live.” 

_ Crack!  _ One of Castiel’s ribs broke, just as he feared. He let out a strangled cry and redoubled his efforts to free himself from the snake’s grasp, but two more of his ribs snapped in the struggle. 

“Nagini, enough.” Voldemort called off the snake, and when she released him and slithered away, it was all Castiel could do to not openly sob. He laid in a heap on the floor, a tangled mess of blood and pain. “Let this serve as a reminder to Team Free Will what happens to those that stand against me. Offer them one chance to join me. Any who refuse will suffer fates far worse than you have tonight.” With a final gesture of his wand, Castiel was transported from the Dark Lord’s basement to a vast, open field. 

Castiel laid where he was for a very long moment, afraid to move.  _ I wish he would’ve just killed me.  _ He reached around for his wand and found it a few paces away from him. He rolled onto his side and let out a loud sob, before wrapping his hand around his wand. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on a happy memory, doing his best to ignore the excruciating pain that filled his body. “ _ Expecto Patronum!”  _

His angel Patronus shot weakly out of his wand. It wasn’t nearly as corporeal as he was used to seeing, but it was undeniably his. He looked at it with wide, desperate eyes and choked out, “Dean.” The Patronus lingered for a moment longer and then disappeared into the night. 

  
  
  


**_Dean:_ **

Dean was sound asleep when Sam started pounding on his door. “Dean! Dean, wake up!” 

He jerked awake, sitting up abruptly and reaching for the gun he kept under his pillow. “What the -?” 

Sam opened the door and Dean squinted against the light that flooded in from the hallway. Dean groaned and covered his face with his arm. “Dammit, Sam, close the fucking door!” 

“No. Dean, you need to see this.” Sam turned and walked out of the room, and Dean hesitated for a moment before sliding out of bed and dressing quickly. He found Sam in the living room standing next to a Patronus that looked suspiciously like Castiel’s. “Sammy? What the hell is this? Where’s Cass?” 

Sam just pointed at the Patronus, and it played a single message: “Dean.” He heard the sound of Cass’s voice and he sounded… well, he sounded horrible. His head snapped to Sam. “How long has it been here?” 

He shook his head. “No more than a minute before I came to wake you up. What does it mean, Dean? Wasn’t Cass with you?” 

Dean wracked his brain but couldn’t remember Cass leaving. He nodded. “Yeah, I mean, he was… but I was pretty out of it, I guess he coulda left.” He flicked his eyes back to the Patronus. “Can you take me to him?” 

The angel didn’t speak or make any acknowledgment that it had heard him other than to drift towards the window. Dean jumped into action, summoning his broomstick and mounting it the second he’d walked out the door. He kicked off from the ground and sped after the Patronus, which was increasing in speed. He cursed himself for not managing to get his hands on a faster broom, but there was something about his old Cleansweep that he just couldn’t give up. 

He lost track of how long they flew, but with each mile, his anxiety mounted and dread filled his body. If Cass sounded like that, something was terribly wrong. Part of his brain was nagging at him, trying to warn him that this could be a trap - but it didn’t matter. If there was a chance that Cass was really in danger, he was going to go find him no matter the cost. 

The Patronus eventually landed in a field, and Dean hopped off of his broom before completely stopping and took off at a run, using the silver light emitted from the angel to see where he was going. The Patronus stopped several feet in front of him and fizzled out, so Dean quickly drew his wand and ignited its tip. He cast the beam of light over the ground and called out. “Cass? Angel, can you hear me? It’s me, it’s Dean… I’m here.” 

A choked out “Dean?” answered him. “I- I’m over here.”

Dean spun around in the direction of Cass’s voice and his heart jumped into his throat. He finally caught sight of him sprawled out on the ground at an awkward angle, and he dropped to his knees beside him. “No, no, no… angel, what the hell happened?  _ Episkey.”  _ There was so much blood he couldn’t even make out where it was coming from. It seemed to have multiple origin points, and Dean wasn’t even sure where to start. “ _ Vulnera Sanentur. Episkey. Episkey! Reparifors!”  _ He searched his mind for more healing spells, but none came. Most of his wounds were closing up anyway, so Dean lifted Cass’s head and shoulders off the ground and held him. “Who did this to you?” 

Castiel was still trembling as he gripped onto Dean’s shirt. “Voldemort did.”

Anger seared through him at the mention of Voldemort’s name. “ _ Episkey.  _ How did he find you, Cass? Why weren’t you safe in bed?” 

Castiel squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed hard. “He didn’t f-find me, Dean. I- I went after him.”

Dean nearly dropped both Cass and his wand, but held tight to both. “ _ V-vulnera Sanentur.  _ You - you’re fuckin’ with me, right angel?” 

Castiel coughed and shook his head slightly. “No, Dean. I wish I was, but I’m n-not.” He tensed in Dean’s arms, opening his eyes. “I k-killed Flickerman, Dean. I did that all by my-myself.”

Dean unsuccessfully fought the tears welling in his eyes. “Goddamnit, Cass. He coulda killed you!” His wand arm was shaking but he pulled at Cass’s shirt, checking for more injuries. “ _ Episkey.”  _ The word was barked out this time, hoarse and laced with fear and anger that was continuing to bubble up inside of him. 

Castiel attempted to sit up, taking Dean’s hand. “But he didn't, right? That’s a good thing.”

Now that Cass was mostly healed and able to sit up on his own, Dean pulled his hand back and got to his feet, taking a few steps back from Cass. “Reckless and stupid. There is no ‘good thing’ about nearly fucking getting yourself killed.” He looked around the field they were in and was suddenly too aware of how exposed they were. “Can you stand? I’m taking you back to Sirius’s.” 

Castiel got to his feet slowly, watching Dean. “You’re upset with me.”

“You’re damn right I’m upset, Cass! This isn’t how we fuckin’ do things around here, you know that! Whether you got Flickerman or not, you completely disregarded an order and damn near ended up being the next body I gotta fuckin’ burn.” He clenched his jaw and stepped forward, adrenaline and fear overtaking his senses. He grabbed Cass’s arm a little rougher than strictly necessary and Disapparated back to Sirius’s house. They landed at the top of the stairs, and Dean pointed to their bedroom door. “Go, I need to tell Sam you’re alive. I’ll be in… at some point.”

Castiel blinked at Dean and almost looked scared, but he nodded once and turned, disappearing into their bedroom, the door closing behind him.

Dean took a few moments to compose himself, wiping the tears that had formed in the corner of his eyes away and clenching and unclenching his fists until he stopped shaking. He descended the stairs two at a time and found Sam in the kitchen, sitting with Newt. 

“He’s alive. I don’t wanna talk about it right now. You guys good?” 

Sam and Newt both nodded as Sam stood up slowly. “Are  _ you _ good, Dean?”

He gritted his teeth. “Yeah. Aces, Sammy. I’ll see you in the morning.” He didn’t wait around for more questions. 


	38. Ridin' the Storm Out

**_Dean:_ **

Dean didn’t sleep. He couldn’t, not with how worried and angry he’d been. None of that had gotten any better as he laid in bed with his back turned to Cass. He knew it was still early, but he slid out of bed and grabbed his jeans and a t-shirt, dressed quickly, and left the room. 

He made some Irish coffee and a piece of toast, then went out to sit on the porch. Sure enough, the sun wasn’t even up yet, but Dean didn’t care. He was glad for the silence; a chance to mull things over and figure out what the hell to do now that he couldn’t even trust  _ Cass  _ to keep himself safe. He slowly sucked down his coffee, and when he had finished the first cup and went to open the door to head back inside for a refill, he found Cass pacing on the other side. 

“Oh. I uhh… was tryin’ not to wake you up.”

Castiel stopped his pacing and looked to Dean quickly. “You didn’t. I woke up to get a drink and I realized you weren’t in bed anymore.”

“And what, you thought you’d find the water by the front door?” He didn’t try to hide the irritation in his voice as he spoke, and another glance down at his empty mug had him moving towards the kitchen again.

“Well… I got water from the kitchen, and then I saw you through the front window.” Cass followed him, leaning against the doorframe, crossing his arms. He stayed silent for a moment, before he spoke again. “Go ahead.”

Dean clenched his jaw as a thousand things ran through his head, each angrier than the last. He lowered his voice because yelling almost seemed pointless. “After everything I’ve done to keep you safe, you march right into that dickhead’s house?” 

Castiel licked his bottom lip and spoke quietly. “I’m sorry, Dean. I was just tired of them killing everyone we care about, I thought I could do it.”

“Yeah?” Dean set his empty cup down on the counter and leveled his eyes at Cass. “And what the hell gave you an idea like that?” 

Castiel shrugged once, blinking at Dean. “Honestly, I’m not sure. It became very clear to me while I was there that I in fact could  _ not _ do it.”

“No fuckin shit, Cass! Not even Chuck wants to go at him one-on-one! There’s a  _ reason  _ that I’m goin’ about this the way that I am. We’ve had this plan since you and me were still stuck in Purgatory for fuck’s sake, and now - for the  _ second  _ time - I had to hold you while you were dying in my fucking arms. At least the first time it happened it was unavoidable and not just because you were being stupid.” 

He flinched slightly and watched Dean. “I know, Dean. I’m sorry, I really am. But Molly - Molly  _ actually _ died in my arms. I sacrificed my life for Charlie, just for her to die anyways. Don’t you get it? No matter what happens, we’re all going to die. I thought I’d try to do something productive.”

Cass’s words hit him like a gut punch. “So that’s it then? You’re just… giving up on surviving? You’re not planning on making it outta this alive?” 

Castiel dropped his eyes to the floor. “Are you? Realistically, Dean, are you?”

“Yeah, Cass. I am. That’s the only damn thing that’s keepin’ me goin’ at this point. If I don’t at least tell myself that there’s a shot that we make it outta this… what the fuck is the point?” 

Castiel was silent again for a long moment. “I don’t know, Dean. I don’t know what I was thinking, my head wasn’t in the right place, not after losing everyone. I just wanted revenge, you know? I was just so angry that I-,” he paused for a moment. “I flew off the handle, and I’m sorry.”

Dean could at least understand his motivation, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow. The image of Cass bleeding out on the ground was still seared in his mind, and he didn’t think it was ever something he could unsee. “Yeah, Cass. You flew off the handle, and you almost died. Did you think for a second what was gonna happen to the rest of us if you died? I get the fact that you wanted to do something productive, angel, I  _ do,  _ but for starters - you aren’t a fighter. You’ve never been a fighter, and I never wanted you to have to become one. It ain’t your job to take him on, you hear me? I thought you knew that.” 

“In my head, I wasn’t going to die. I didn’t even acknowledge the possibility, because I wasn’t going to die. I was going to kill Voldemort and then you’d come and find me or I’d come and get you and I’d show you what I did. You’d… you’d be  _ proud _ of me, Dean, because for once I would’ve done something on my own and succeeded.” Castiel kept his eyes down and swallowed hard. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“For  _ once?  _ Cass, you do realize that nearly 100% of the people that are still alive are alive because of  _ you?  _ What the hell gave you the idea that you can’t do shit on your own?” Dean took a step closer to him, and it was slowly starting to sink in that this was his fault. If Cass really felt like that, it was definitely Dean’s fault. 

Castiel shrugged again and breathed out. “I don’t know, Dean. I get that I was helpful in Purgatory and a couple years ago, but recently I haven’t done anything. You, Sirius, Cato… you guys constantly do things to progress our mission and keep things moving while I stay at home and… and do nothing. Make boxed macaroni and cheese, organize the cabinets, stuff just to keep myself busy.”

Yeah. This was on Dean. “Cass, that’s not because you weren’t capable of doing more. You - I -” He huffed through his nose and closed his eyes. “I kept you at home because if me and Cato died, I needed you and Sam to finish the damn job. Keepin’ you behind kept you safe, it had nothin’ to do with whether or not I thought you were capable of killing a couple of Death Eaters or stealing supplies.” 

“Clearly I’m  _ not _ capable, so you don’t have to worry about that anymore. But Dean - what was I supposed to do if you died? Sure, I was safe at home, but what about you? I just… I failed, Dean. I admit it, okay? Lock me down, keep me on house arrest, do whatever you want in order to make you feel better. I’m not going anywhere.”

_ Is he fucking serious?  _ “To make  _ me  _ feel better?!” Whether he wanted to or not, he was yelling now, and walking towards Castiel. “I wanted you to fucking  _ live  _ Cass! To come out the other goddamn side of this!” Frustration and anxiety coursed through him, and he pushed Cass back a few steps. “You wanna fight somebody? Fight  _ me  _ then, cuz I’m the only damn reason you feel the way you do!” 

Castiel stumbled a little bit and steadied himself with the back of a chair. He met Dean’s eyes and shook his head slightly. “And I want  _ you  _ to live, Dean! You don’t get to make this one-sided. You’re willing sacrifice yourself for me  _ all the fucking time _ , and for once I wanted to be the one trying to do the same thing! This isn’t your fault, stop trying to make it be.” Castiel’s eyes flashed as he shoved Dean back, his jaw set. “Do you understand how  _ terrified _ I am that you’re not going to come back from one of your stupid ‘milk run’ outings? I know you try to keep your cool in front of me, but it doesn’t work! You downplay it, make it seem like it’s not as big of a deal as it is, but I see right through your bullshit, Dean!”

“That makes it even fucking worse, Cass! Cuz you  _ know  _ what it’s like to be that fuckin’ scared and yet you did it to me anyway!” He shoved Cass again, making Cass stumble once more, his voice getting louder. “Yeah, call me selfish, call me afraid, call me whatever the fuck you want to, but you don’t  _ get _ to go on suicide missions! I never go alone, never! I’ve  _ always  _ got somebody with me, either Cato or Sirius, and didn’t I just fuckin’ say last night that no one goes off alone?” 

Castiel shifted his eyes to Dean. He took a deep breath and shoved Dean back, hard enough to knock him over this time. “No one would’ve come with me, Dean! I had to do this on my own!”

Dean looked up at Cass from where he landed on the floor, absolutely dumbfounded by his words. “Did you ask, Cass?” He got to his feet. “Did you think to fucking ask a single person?” Louder and louder his voice got as the sheer absurdity of the situation sunk in. “I woulda gone with you! I’d have gotten Cato and Sirius and whoever the fuck else we needed if you wanted to take a shot like that! I’d have  _ listened  _ to you, Cass! It’s supposed to be you and me, it’s always  _ been  _ you and me since the day I ran into you on the fucking train my fifth year!” The anger was freely pulsing through him now and he had lost all motivation to control it. He picked up his empty mug and flung it at the wall, where it shattered. Cass flinched, but Dean kept yelling. “How the hell are we ever gonna make this work if you’d rather run off alone and get yourself killed than trust that I’d help you?!” 

Castiel shook his head. “I never doubted you’d help me, Dean. I knew you would. You couldn’t even stand, Dean! Your eyes were closing all on their own from just the strength it took to keep yourself upright! Cato - Cato’s insane! Did you see what he did to Snape?! He bashed his skull in with his bare hands, Dean!”

“After we lost  _ six fucking people!  _ He wanted to end it, Cass, he’s not insane! He was pissed, yeah, but if he’s insane… then so am I. And so are  _ you!  _ We all make stupid fucking decisions when we’re angry, and you’re not fucking innocent either! If he wouldn’t have killed Snape, who knows what would have happened. And hell, if you think  _ that’s  _ bad, then it’s a damn fucking good thing you never did come with us on hunts cuz I promise you angel, that shit was  _ mild  _ compared to some of the things me and Cato had to do to get the job done. Some of the shit  _ I  _ had to do in Purgatory to make sure that you and me had somethin’ to eat! You don’t get to call him insane just because you haven’t had to be put in that fuckin’ position.” 

Castiel swallowed and seemed at a loss for words. He kept his voice low as he spoke, looking anywhere but at Dean. “Are you done?”

Dean was nowhere near finished, not now that he actually knew how Cass saw them. He opened his mouth to keep talking but a door slammed on the floor above them, and he turned towards the stairs to see Sam coming down, looking every bit as pissed as Dean felt. 

“What the hell is wrong with you two?” 

“Oh, nothin’, Sammy. Cass here just thinks me and Cato are some kinda insane monsters because we do what needs to be done.” Dean’s words were clipped. “He’s also suicidal, so… there’s that.” 

Sam looked to Cass after letting Dean’s words sink in for a moment. “What’s he talking about?” 

Castiel shook his head, scoffing which then turned into a chuckle. “I’m done here.” He brushed past Sam and bumped shoulders with Dean as he left the kitchen, the front door slamming a few moments later.

Dean let him go, moving to the kitchen closet to get a broom and dustpan. He pointedly ignored Sam as he swept up the shards of glass from the coffee mug he’d destroyed, and Cato and Sirius joined them in the kitchen as he was dumping the remains in the trash can. 

“Are you using an actual fucking broom?” Cato sounded horrified, which just pissed Dean off even more. 

“Fuck  _ off  _ Cato, don’t you have a puppy to kick somewhere?” He threw the broom back into the closet and shut the door hard, and it just bounced right back open. He growled in frustration and tried to slam it shut, but again, it rebounded. Sam walked over and put his arm over Dean’s chest to stop him from making a third violent attempt, and shut the door gently. It clicked into place and Dean sat down at the table, his fingers laced and his knee bouncing. “You guys can go, there’s nothin’ to see here.” 

Sirius calmly sat down beside Dean at the table, and Sam and Cato returned up the stairs. Sirius was silent for a long moment, before he looked over at Dean. “Hey.”

“What?” 

Sirius shrugged and fell silent again, standing up. He moved to the counter. “You want a drink?”

He bit the inside of his cheek and let out a breath, nodding. “Yeah… yeah, that’d probably be for the best at this point.” 

Sirius nodded and grabbed a glass, smirking a little as he looked to Dean. His voice was playful as he grabbed the whiskey. “Should I put it in a plastic cup, or can you handle a glass?”

Dean actually relaxed a little bit. “Put that shit in a sippy cup or give it to somebody else.” 

Sirius half-smiled and poured the whiskey into two glasses, carrying them and the bottle over to the table. He sat down and slid Dean his glass. “Seriously, man, you good?”

Dean took a drink and pulled the whiskey through his teeth. “Cass went after Voldemort last night while I was passed out.” He set the glass down and looked over at Sirius. “He nearly died, and uhh… spoiler alert, he didn’t kill the Douche Lord.” 

Sirius raises his eyebrows. “Well, that was a stupid idea.”

“Right? But fuck me for tellin’ him that, y’know?” He shook his head and spun the glass on the table. “The moron got it in his head that he could do this solo. He  _ did  _ kill Flickerman though, so… cheers to that.” He brought the glass to his mouth and drank heavily, leaning back in his chair. “Maybe Finn can finally rest easy now.” 

“If you’d have asked me who killed Flickerman, Cass wouldn’t have been my first guess, so yeah, cheers to that.” He drank and set his glass down.

“He might not have been my first either, but he damn sure wouldn’t have been my last. Cass is a lot tougher than he lets on. I’m honestly not all that shocked that he iced that smarmy son of a bitch.” He glanced towards the door where Cass had walked out. “Y’know… I was so pissed off at him for goin’ alone that I didn’t even thank him for getting revenge for Finn and all the other people Flickerman fucked with? I didn’t even tell him ‘good job.’ Guess that makes  _ me  _ the dick, huh?” 

Sirius' shrugged his mouth, leaning back in his chair. “I think you’re both dicks, but…” he clasped his hands behind his head, “you could’ve handled that a lot better, honestly.”

“You ever been in love, Sirius? I mean really, truly, would kill somebody to protect somebody kinda love?” 

Sirius laughed loudly and sat forward again. “You even know who I am, Winchester? ‘Love’ isn’t in the cards for me. So to answer your question, no, never.”

He scoffed. “I honestly don’t know if I pity you or envy you at this point.” He tapped his fingers on the side of his glass. “Love makes you do dumbass shit like start wars with people.” 

“Yeah, but not having love is lonely as fuck. I mean, not for me, but for others I’m sure.” He took a long drink from his glass and then reached for the bottle, refilling it.

“You’re so full of shit it’s comin’ out your eyes, man. You know I know that, right?” Dean raised his eyebrows and fought a laugh, which wasn’t difficult because part of him was thinking there might be a very real, very valid reason for Sirius saying something like that. 

Sirius rolled his eyes and swirled the whiskey in his glass. “Yeah, whatever, we weren’t talking about me.”

“Maybe we should be.” He hesitated, but decided someone needed to ask and it might as well be him. “How are you doin’, anyway? With the whole… James thing, I mean. I know it was a while ago, but I’m nowhere near over what happened so I’m figurin’ maybe you aren’t, either.” 

Sirius visibly tensed at the mention of James, balling his hands into fists on the table. “Yeah, it was a long time ago. That’s all there is to it. People die in war, and James was one of them.”

Dean’s heart dropped. “It was only a few months ago, man. Talk to me, I know I haven’t been there for you like I shoulda been but you’re still my best friend.” 

Sirius hesitated for a long moment, his eyes on the table. He eventually spoke with a quiet voice, squeezing his glass in his hand. “I just miss him, y’know? I didn’t think it’d be this bad but… it is. It really fucking sucks.”

“Trust me, I know. I’ve been tryin’ to keep my shit together until we finish what we started, but damn if there ain’t days when it’s hard to even breathe under the weight of all the people we’ve lost.” He flicked his eyes to Sirius but tried not to make it obvious. “He loved you, man. You know that.” 

Sirius clicked his tongue. “That doesn’t change the fact that he’s never coming back. None of them are. Not Finnick or Rue or Bobby or anyone else that didn’t deserve to die.” He shrugged. “I feel like we lost all the best ones, y’know?”

“There ain’t a day that goes by when I don’t wish I coulda taken one of their places. They died cuz me and Cass started a war. But at the end of the day, they’re exactly why I keep pushin’ myself and all of you guys. They’re why I won’t give up or give in. I owe it to each and every damn one of them to finish this and make what they gave up worth somethin’. I think that’s why I got so mad at Cass. I don’t blame him, not really, but… how the hell am I supposed to keep going if something happens to him?” 

Sirius looked over at Dean. “I dunno, man. I’ve never been in love. I’d be able to keep fighting, but that’s not because I don’t love Cass. I just - you suppress everything until you’re at the point of breaking, and then you finally let yourself break and all hell breaks loose.” He fell silent for a moment, looking around the kitchen. “You know how the back door got broken, torn clear off the hinges and I blamed the wind?”

He scoffed. “Yeah, musta been  _ some _ tornado that nobody noticed but you.” 

“Yeah, I couldn’t come up with a better lie. But I’m guessing you pieced two and two together. After my parents and James… I just broke. I took it out on the poor back door one night.”

“You coulda at least had the decency to pick somethin’ that could defend itself. That poor door never stood a chance.” He smiled sadly at Sirius and was reminded yet again that he wasn’t the only one suffering in silence, not by a long shot. “I shoulda been there for you. But you’re right, I bury shit until I can’t dig any deeper and I guess I just forget sometimes that not everyone is like that. But not for nothin’, that’s pretty much the only reason I survived Purgatory.” 

“You think that’s why Cass flew off the chains last night? You think he finally snapped?”

“I think it was a lotta things. That, for sure. He cares so damn much about people and I put him in a damn box where he couldn’t do shit, and somehow I thought he was just gonna stay home and put up with it. I was an ass, and I guess I can be the first to admit it.” He drained his glass and reached for the bottle, but stopped short of it and dropped his hand. “I think maybe it’s time to rethink the strategy.” 

Sirius quirked an eyebrow. “I’m listening, but no guarantees I’m gonna trust a damn thing you say because between the two of us, we’ve almost killed that whole bottle.”

He laughed quietly. “What is it, like nine A.M.? It’s a miracle there’s anything left at all.” He licked his lip as he contemplated how to fix things. “I think it’s gonna start with me bein’ a better leader. Remembering that I’m not the only one in this war and actually… y’know… trustin’ more than just you and Cato to get a job done. Also, to actually listen to you guys once in a while. Check in more. Winning this war won’t mean shit if we’re all too fucked up to function after.” 

Sirius nodded. “That sounds like a decent start to me, man.”

He sucked his teeth and stood up. “I’ll be right back.” He set his glass down and walked outside, and found Cass sitting on the top step. “Hey, Cass?” 

He didn’t answer immediately, and when he did, he just sounded tired. “Yes, Dean?” 

Dean’s heartbeat quickened and he shifted his weight on his feet. “Marry me.”    
  


**_Castiel:_ **

Castiel didn’t turn around to face Dean. He didn’t say anything for a long moment either.  _ There’s no way you just heard that correctly. You’re hearing things. _ “What did you just say?”

“I said… marry me.” 

Castiel turned to him then from where he was sitting, flicking his eyes between Dean’s. “Are you sure? Don’t you want to wait?”

Dean walked forward, moving past Cass and taking the steps down to the ground. He kneeled on the bottom step and looked up at him. “I got so pissed at you cuz I love you, angel. Nothin’ in this world scares me half as much as the thought of somethin’ happening to you or Sammy.” He reached forward and tentatively took one of Cass’s hands in his own. “The only thing that’s kept me goin’ this far is the thought of you and me makin’ it through all of this  _ together.  _ So, hell yeah, I’m sure. Time won’t let me wait any longer, Cass. We might die soon, and I can’t stand the thought of that happenin’ without you knowing that there’s nothin’ in this world I’d rather do than marry you when the dust settles.” 

Castiel watched Dean and then squeezed his hand with a sad smile, nodding. “Of course I will, Dean. Of course I’ll marry you.” 

Dean grinned for the first time in months. “Yeah? You mean it?” 

Castiel nodded again and smiled wider. “I do, Dean. I mean it.”

“Hey, save that ‘I do’ for the wedding.” He leaned up and kissed him, pushing him back slowly until he was laying on the floor of the porch. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a dick. You didn’t need that last night, or today. I’m really proud of you, angel. Even if your methods were kinda crazy.” 

Castiel reached up and brushed his thumb under Dean’s eye, tears filling his eyes because it had been so damn long since someone told him they were proud of him. “I’m sorry too, Dean. I shouldn’t have done what I did. I should’ve asked for help or… or at least told someone what I was going to do.”

He grinned again. “I’m not gonna tell you you’re wrong, cuz you’re not. We’re at war, Cass. I know how frustrated you’re getting and I know how bad it has to suck bein’ stuck here all the time.” He kissed him again. “But I promise you, when this is over and the good guys kick evil’s ass… I’m gonna make it up to you. All of it.” 

Castiel shook his head and smiled small. “You don’t owe me anything, Dean. I never really considered how much shit you do for everyone else. I mean, I’ve thought about it, but I’ve never focused on all the small details too. I should’ve listened and stayed home when you asked me too. You’re trying to keep everyone safe and last night I… I made your job a lot harder. I’m truly sorry, Dean. I won’t do anything like that again, I pro-”

Dean shut him up with another kiss. “Shh, angel. Yeah, you and Cato especially make it a lot harder for me to keep everyone alive cuz you two insist on running off on your own, but… I know why you did it, and you killed  _ Flickerman.  _ That’s not nothin’, Cass.” 

He laughed quietly and closed his eyes for a brief moment. “I did, yes. But for the events that followed afterwards-” he paused and tilted his head, opening his eyes to look at Dean again, “actually, I wouldn’t. I was going to say I’d go back and undo everything if I could but… I don’t think I would. Not now, at least.”

“I wouldn’t want you to. I mean, maybe the gettin’ your ass handed to you part, but… what you did took balls, Cass. And now, thanks to you, Flickerman is dead and we’ve got a leg up on Voldemort, cuz I’d bet my life that the arrogant son of a bitch thinks he’s scared us off. He won’t see us comin’.” 

Cass smiled slightly, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “Yes, I don’t prefer being a snake’s chew toy.”

“I’ll tell ya what. When this is over, we’ll have a fuckin’ picnic and we can see how  _ Nagini  _ likes being eaten. How’s that?” 

Castiel grinned and laughed a little bit louder, nodding. “I think that’s a good idea, although I’m not sure I’d prefer to  _ eat _ snake, either.”

Dean shrugged with a half smile. “More for me, then.” He pushed himself back up to a standing position and held out his hand for Cass, his smile turning into a smirk. “I think we should go celebrate.” 

Cass quirked his eyebrow at Dean but took his hand and stood, smiling a little bit. “Now  _ that _ is the best idea you’ve had so far.”


	39. For Whom the Bell Tolls

**_Dean:_ **

Dean took a deep breath and scanned the room. He wasn’t sure how much longer any of them would be alive, but one way or the other - this would be their final battle. It was time to hit Voldemort with everything they had, and either they’d be victorious and could finally rest, or they would all die in the fight. He’d called the leaders together in Sirius’s kitchen, and his gut twisted uncomfortably at the way they were all looking at him for instructions. 

“Okay, so… here’s the plan. Minerva, you take the other Hogwarts professors and half the Azkaban survivors. You guys will head to level three of the Ministry where the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is. They’ve gotta be keeping the Aurors somewhere if they’re not already dead, so try to find them first before openly engaging with the Death Eaters that took their places, you got that?” 

Minerva McGonagall nodded once. “Yes, I’ve got it Winchester. It’s not a particularly complex plan, is it?”

Dean chuckled nervously. “No, uhh… no it ain’t. But I figure the simpler the better, y’know? We’re gonna have a lot of moving pieces here and most of your team hasn’t fought together before, so it’ll be better if we keep it easy to execute.” 

“Let’s just hope  _ we  _ won’t be easy to execute.” Even heading into a battle this big, she still had an air of quiet confidence that worked its way into Dean and calmed his nerves. 

“Right. Okay, so… that leaves me, Cato, and Chuck. Obviously, Chuck is gonna go after the Douche Lord himself. Let’s all give a round of applause for Chuck for finally agreeing to do what he shoulda done years ago and take the bastard on head-to-head.” Dean slow-clapped, but no one else did and Chuck just looked awkward, so he stopped. “But that’s only a part of it, if we don’t wipe out the Death Eaters still at the Ministry, one of them will just end up takin’ Voldemort’s place.”

“Get to the point, Winchester,” Cato shifted on his feet and crossed his arms. “Where am  _ I  _ going?” 

“I was gettin’ to it, Cato, hold your damn horses.” Dean pointed to the map of the Ministry of Magic that he had laid out in front of him on the table. “You take the rest of the younger members of Team Free Will - Gabe, Hael, Joanna Mason, Cressida, Beetee Latier, Wiress and uhhh…” he paused and looked at Cass. “Did Ash sign on?” Cass nodded. “Right, then Ash, too. You take that crew and the rest of the folks we snatched from Azkaban and head to level seven, the Department of Mysteries. You need to get Osiris and them outta there, cuz when this is over, we’ll need an actual fuckin’ judge that’ll put any Death Eaters that live through this away. And Cato… yeah, I know your dad works down there. That gonna be a problem?” 

Cato smiled darkly. “Problem? Winchester, that’s half the damn point. I’ve been waiting for a chance to gut that traitorous, hateful bastard since the day he sold me out to Voldemort.” 

Dean nodded. “Yeah, I figured as much. Sarah ain’t a fighter, so she’d do you more harm than good. I worked it out with Newt that she’d sit with the Obscurial while he comes with us. He finally got the poor kid to… y’know, be a kid again, and he doesn’t wanna leave him alone until he’s sure it’s gonna stick.” 

Cato’s face softened. “Thanks, Dean.” 

He blinked.  _ Did Cato Chester just fucking thank me for something? Holy shit, we really are gonna die.  _ “Yeah, man. No problem.”

“So where will you and the others be then?” Chuck asked, although Dean got the distinct impression it wasn’t out of concern or even curiosity. 

“I’m takin’ Cass, Sirius, Sam and Newt down to level five, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.” He double-tapped the map with his finger. “Newt seems to think they’ve got some pretty badass creatures locked up down there, and he’s as eager to free ‘em as I am to use ‘em. We’re gonna need all the help we can get.” 

“How come you get to take those four?” Cato scowled. “I should get Sirius.” 

Dean rolled his eyes. “I’m goin’ in with the smallest team other than Chuck. You’re gonna have a damn army behind you, Cato, that ain’t good enough? I’m takin’ them with me cuz I trust them with everything I got, and since there’s only gonna be five of us to clear out a whole floor, that’s pretty damn important.” 

Cato looked like he was going to argue and then thought better of it. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. When are we leaving?” 

“Minerva said that Madam Harvelle got all the survivors back to fighting shape, so… tonight. There’s no reason to delay anymore, and it’s Christmas break over at the school so the professors are free. You, Chuck and Minerva will head over to Hogwarts and gather everyone, I’ll round up my team and the rest of Team Free Will and meet you guys there around eight tonight. We’ll leave together, and Chuck said he knows a secret entrance to the Ministry that will allow us to get our whole damn army in without being detected. We’ll split up from there, and Chuck will go after Voldemort.”

Cass added, “Our last recon mission gave us intel that Voldemort would be at the Ministry tonight. He’s supposed to be meeting with one of the foreign leaders in the morning, which is why it’s important we finish this before he has a chance to get the poor guy under the Imperius Curse and extend his influence worldwide. Dean’s right, we really can’t delay any longer.” 

“It’s still early, so… take some time to spend with the people you give a shit about. This might be the last chance you get.” Dean smiled sadly at them and they dismissed themselves one by one until Dean was left alone in the kitchen with Cass. 

“We’re almost done, Dean. It’s almost over.” Cass walked over to him and put his hands on Dean’s waist. 

He pulled his lip between his teeth and frowned. “I know, Cass. But what’s it gonna cost us this time?” 

Cass shook his head insistently. “It doesn’t matter what the cost is, Dean. We  _ have  _ to end this. Not just for us, but for the whole world.” 

He took a shuddering breath and bobbed his head in a semblance of agreement. “Yeah, no, you’re right, of course you’re right.” 

“What do you want to do today?” 

_ Run. Take you, Sammy, Sirius, Newt, and hell… even Cato and run as fast and as far away from all this as I can.  _ “It’s been like three weeks. You think we should tell the others we’re engaged?” 

“Well,” Cass tilted his head. “It might give them a reminder that we’re fighting for more than just the world. We’re fighting for each of us, too.”

Someone cleared their throat from the doorway. “Yeah, umm… we all already knew that you were engaged.” Dean looked over to see Sam and Sirius. 

“You what? How?” 

Sam smiled. “Your argument was so loud that day, you woke the entire house up. We might have been eavesdropping when you went out on the porch. We were just waiting for you to tell us about it to officially congratulate you.” 

Dean’s ears turned red. “Oh, uhh… yeah. Well, we’re umm…”

“Getting married when this is all over,” Cass finished for him, and he was grateful.

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Holy shit, what a surprise! None of us knew you two were in love, how’d you hide it so well?” Even through the sarcasm, Sirius couldn’t quite hide his happiness for the two. 

It was happiness, of course, that faded quickly as they all remembered what was really at stake that night. 

\------------------------

They spent the rest of the day just being near each other. Talking, laughing, reminiscing. If a few tears were shed, well… they weren’t going to tell anyone. 

At a quarter to eight that night, Dean double-checked his pockets for his weapons.  _ Gun? Check. Wand? Got it. Knife? In my boot as always, good. This is good.  _ “You guys got everything you need?” 

Sam, Sirius and Cass all nodded to him, and Newt appeared in the kitchen. “Sarah is with Will. I think they’ll be okay. And yes, Dean, before you ask - I have all of my weapons, I’ve said the goodbyes that I needed to, and I’m ready for whatever happens.” 

Dean huffed quietly. “Right. The kid doing okay?” 

Newt nodded. “Yes, it has taken months, but I think he’s finally starting to accept who and what he is. He’s able to hold his human body for much longer periods of time now. He likes Sarah, so I feel confident that even if I die today, Will will be in good hands.” 

A pang of guilt jolted through Dean. He knew that each and every person traveling to the Ministry of Magic tonight was going of their own free will and for their own reasons, but it didn’t stop him from feeling responsible for them or for the fact that this war is even taking place to begin with. “Okay, then. Let’s go.” 

“Dean, wait.” Sam held out his hand. “Can I - can I talk to you for a minute? A-alone?” 

He halted. “Sure, Sammy.” He turned to the others. “Why don’t you guys head over to Hogwarts and meet the others, me and Sam will catch up.” They agreed, and after a quick kiss from Cass, they Disapparated. His eyes traveled over the ground and he raised them hesitantly to meet Sam’s. “What’s uhh… what’s up?” 

“Look, there’s no way to say this without it sounding like a chick flick moment, so you’re just gonna have to suck it up and deal with it, alright? I’m proud of you, Dean. No matter how this ends or what happens tonight or who survives and doesn’t survive - I’m proud of you. I’ve  _ been  _ proud of you since the day you stood up at the Choosing and offered to take my place. Part of me hated you for it for a while because I felt like you didn’t think I could handle myself. But I was young and stupid, and now I understand that you did it because you love me and couldn’t live with the thought of letting Voldemort take me when you had a chance to save me. You’ve been saving us, Dean. You’ve been saving all of us, every second of every day since the Choosing over four years ago.” Sam stopped to take a breath and Dean dropped his eyes back to the ground. He continued, “Mom would have been so proud of you, Dean, and if Dad would have gotten his head out of his ass for five seconds to look past the fact that you can do magic and see what kind of a guy you really are - he would have been proud of you, too.” 

He scoffed, he cheeks bright red. “Yeah, well… doesn’t matter now, does it?” He brought his gaze back to Sam’s face. “I appreciate you for sayin’ that, Sammy, but I’m proud of you, too. The things you’ve done and seen… and you’re still the same kid. You haven’t let any of this get to you, and I think that’s fuckin’ incredible.” 

Sam had tears welling in his eyes, and Dean had to quickly blink back his own. He stepped forward and wrapped his brother in a tight hug. “I love you, Dean.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I love you too, even though you’re giant and freakishly strong.” He held the hug for as long as he dared and then stepped back. “Now, let’s go save the fucking world.” 

\------------------------------

Fifteen minutes later found them sneaking an entire army into the Ministry of Magic through the secret passageway Chuck told them about. Chuck himself had walked through the main entrance, hoping that his sudden appearance would distract the Death Eaters inside of the building enough that they wouldn’t notice any noises the rest of them made as they split off into their teams. Cato grinned at Dean before leaving and tapped his arm twice, their silent communication for ‘all clear.’ Dean’s eyebrows shot up and he shook his head, because if this wasn’t cause for the triple tap ‘abort mission,’ he didn’t know what was. He shook his head slightly and then gave the signal for each member of their army to put themselves under a Disillusionment Charm. One by one they disappeared from view, and for some reason it was just now occurring to Dean that this might be a bad idea. Sure enough, they didn’t get more than fifty feet into level six where they’d come out before Dean had had enough of bumping into people he couldn’t see.  _ This worked a lot better when it was just a few of us.  _ He undid his own charm and motioned for the others to do the same. He kept his voice low. “That wasn’t gonna work, but it’s fine - it wasn’t a crucial part of the plan anyway. Just go, and stick together.” 

He stayed in the corridor until Minerva and Cato’s teams had disappeared. He looked around for the elevator, trying to recreate the building’s blueprint in his mind. “This way.” He drew his wand and took off at a run, Cass, Sam, Sirius and Newt close behind him. He repeatedly slammed the button on the elevator when they arrived, and the doors opened immediately. They boarded the elevator and Dean pressed the button that would take them to level four. Since they were only two floors down, it didn’t take long before they heard the ding signaling that they’d arrived. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and let out a measured breath.  _ This is it, Dean. This is the end. One way or another, you need to finish this.  _ A calm resolve spread through him, and his senses and instincts kicked into overdrive. He opened his eyes as the doors slid open and stepped out into the hall. 

A quick sweep of the area told him they were alone, at least for now. He nodded to Newt and fell back a step, letting him guide them to the place they thought the Death Eaters were keeping the magical creatures. He wasn’t stupid enough to think they would be unguarded, but that suited Dean just fine. At this point, he was eager to get on with the fighting before the tension coiling inside of him snapped. 

They were closing the distance between them and the door when someone shouted from their left. “Hey! This area is off li-” his words were cut off by a flash of green light emanating from Sirius’s wand. “Move!” Sirius yelled, and they didn’t need to be told twice. 

They sprinted the rest of the way to the door and Dean jerked it open. “In, go! Me and Sam will cover you. Get as many of ‘em as you can out!” Cass, Newt and Sirius darted through the open door and Dean slammed it shut behind them. He turned to Sam and nodded, and they both scanned the corridor with their wands raised. 

“What if there were Death Eaters inside that room, Dean?” 

“Doesn’t matter. They can handle themselves, we gotta trust that. It’s our job to make sure nobody else gets through that door.” 

Sam clicked his tongue. “Alright, whatever you say, Hodor.” 

“Hey, that big, dumb giant was a  _ hero.  _ I don’t consider that an insult.” The thundering sound of racing footsteps drew Dean’s attention to his right, and eight Death Eaters came sprinting around the corner. 

Sam pivoted to face the door they were guarding. “ _ Protego Maxima!”  _

Dean lurched forward a step as the impenetrable shield sprung up behind them. He was keenly aware that there was now a solid, magical wall separating Dean and Sam from Cass and the others, but it also meant that even if Sam and Dean died right here, there was still a chance that Cass and Sirius and Newt would survive. 

The hall erupted in shouted incantations and spell light. Sam was blasted back against the wall and one of the spells from the Death Eater that reached them first sliced through Dean’s arm, but the pain only served to sharpen his senses. He dodged two rapidfire attacks from a Death Eater he recognized as Bellatrix Lestrange, and he summoned all the anger and hatred in his body as he fired the Killing Curse back at her. She fell, and Dean allowed himself a split second of triumph before sending off another one. It missed, and Dean had to drop clear down to his stomach to dodge the return attack. 

He lost all sight of Sam in the fray. Over and over again he fired off curses, doing his best to bob and weave through the hallway, making himself harder to hit. He was tiring quickly, and the first time he landed a Killing Curse that didn’t actually kill, his stomach dropped to his feet. There were still three Death Eaters left, and if Dean couldn’t rely on his will to hold out and power  _ Avada Kedavra, _ then he’d have to do the next best thing. 

He was no longer worried about making noise. The corridor was half destroyed already, and if the rest of the Death Eaters didn’t hear that, they wouldn’t hear his gun, either. He pulled out his 1911 and tossed his wand to the side, backing up to get a cleaner shot until his back hit the shield that Sam had erected. 

He shot a Death Eater that was getting close to Sam in the head, but the split second it took for him to do that meant he’d temporarily lost sight of the other two. He was bodily tackled backwards, and he hit the shield hard, sliding to the ground and grappling with the Death Eater that was now trying to get control of his gun. 

In the chaos of continued spell light and dust rising up from the debris around him, it was becoming increasingly difficult to see anything at all. The Death Eater’s knee dug into his gut and he groaned, sending his left elbow up and connecting with his face. The Death Eater flinched back but it wasn’t enough to make him loosen his grip on Dean’s wrists, so Dean started kicking out wildly with his feet, twisting and contorting his body in an effort to throw the man off of him. 

Neither one was gaining any ground, and Dean’s strength was sapping quickly. His hands were becoming slippery from sweat which only made keeping ahold of his gun more difficult. He slammed his head forward and connected with the Death Eater’s just as another flash of green light filled the hall. The impact was enough to drive the man off of him, but Dean fell backwards when the shield behind him dropped completely. Terror raced through him as he corrected his grip on his gun and fired at the Death Eater he’d just been wrestling with. He hit him in the same spot his forehead had moments earlier, and Dean didn’t stop to watch his body fall as he turned to try and find Sam. 

“Sam! Call out, I can’t see shit out here!” No answer. “Sammy! Sammy, can you hear -” He was tackled again, but this time he’d had his gun lowered enough that the barrel was pointing directly at his attacker’s stomach. He wrapped his other hand around the man’s shoulders as they fell and pulled the trigger, once, twice… again. He landed with a thud and the butt of the gun dug uncomfortably into his abdomen as he struggled to throw the dead weight off of him. He scrambled back to his feet and barked out, “ _ Lumos!”  _ From several feet away, the tip of his wand lit up. It was barely visible in the dust and sparking lights from overhead where the light bulbs had blown out, but he could see it. He staggered forward, holding his side and wincing with every step. He leaned over and grabbed his wand and then looked around the floor in his immediate vicinity, guiding his wand light over the rubble. “Sam?” 

Still no answer. His heart skipped too many beats to be healthy, and his voice was desperate as he called out again. “Sam! Sammy, please… say somethin’ man!” The silence in the hall brought fresh tears to his eyes, and he started kicking over pieces of the ceiling that had fallen. In frustration, he waved his wand through the air to clear some of the dust and improve visibility, and nearly immediately wished he hadn’t. 

He found his brother half-buried under a slab of concrete. He dropped to his knees and barely noticed the pain that radiated from his kneecaps to his neck as he landed. His body was pulsing with disbelief, pain, and a sadness that was threatening to drown him. “Sammy?” Dean reached forward and brushed a matted clump of bloody hair out of his brother’s face, revealing open, glassy eyes. He choked out a sob. “I’m so sorry, Sammy. This was never supposed to happen to you. You were supposed to be  _ safe.  _ I - I shoulda made you stay home.”

A door opened behind him, and he didn’t care. He found he didn’t care about anything in that moment. Win, lose, what did it matter at this point? Everything he’d done since day one of this war had been to protect Sam, to save  _ Sam,  _ and he failed. His entire family died in this war, and Dean no longer cared if he joined them. 

Hands roughly grabbed at his shoulders, but he lunged forward and wrapped himself around Sam’s upper body. “No!” 

“Dean, we’ve got to move.” Cass held onto Dean as Sirius moved and pried Sam’s body from his hands. “Come on, Dean. There’s too many of them.”

Dean watched helplessly as Sirius sent his brother’s body away. He stayed on his knees in the debris, taking long, deep, wrecked breaths. “I can’t, Cass. I can’t. I can’t.” 

Castiel swallowed hard and looked to Newt. “You and Sirius have got to move. Clear out the rest of this floor, okay? We’ll catch up with you.”

Newt and Sirius gave a nod in acknowledgment, looking at Dean once more before they took off down the debris filled hallway. The sound of animal cries and wing beats followed them, so Dean assumed they’d gotten the creatures out, too.

Castiel pulled Dean to him and held him tight. “I’m so sorry, Dean. I know how horrible this must be for you, but we can’t stay here. We have to leave.”

Dean was in a fog that he wasn’t sure would ever lift again. He felt himself nodding and getting to his feet, and somewhere in his mind he knew the movements hurt, but he couldn’t bring himself to focus. He grabbed onto Cass’s arm and started pulling him in the direction the others went. 

He tried not to flinch as the sounds of all out, unforgiving war reached his ears. Screams, crashes, explosions, yelled-out warnings… it was madness. The Ministry of Magic had become madness. Cass and Dean searched the rest of the level and found nothing, which led Dean to believe that Newt and the others must’ve gone up. Those had been his instructions, anyway. Clear the level your team was assigned and move up, assisting where it was needed but ultimately meeting on the main level. 

They boarded the elevator again, and Dean noticed for the first time that Cass was holding his hand. He looked down at it as the elevator dinged. Cass simply squeezed his hand and then pulled Dean out into the hallway once the doors opened. They hadn’t sent an actual team to that level, which was the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, but that was mainly because these were positions that Voldemort hadn’t felt the need to replace. Most, if not all of the employees on this floor were good people. Dean let Cass lead as they went room to room advising people to leave. 

With that level cleared, they boarded the elevator once more and ascended to the second level. This was where McGonagall’s team was supposed to be, and when the doors opened, they revealed absolute chaos. The two walked tentatively through a corridor that was, by all accounts, destroyed worse than level four. Bodies lined the walls on either side, and Dean was horrified to realize that several of them belonged to Team Free Will. He stopped when he recognized Donna Hanscum, and bile rose in his throat at the injuries that marked her body. 

Now it was his turn to pull Cass along, because as the head of Hufflepuff house, Cass had a special connection to Donna. 

Further down what he was starting to call the Hall of the Dead, they saw Cressida.  _ You escaped fuckin’ Purgatory after six years there just to die here. I’m so sorry, Cress. You weren’t even supposed to be on this level.  _ A few more steps showed him the wildly eccentric, very dead form of Professor Effie Trinket, and he was sure in that moment that Voldemort was the evilest son of a bitch that had ever walked the earth. Effie never hurt anyone, she was the kindest, weirdest individual that Dean had ever met. It was this realization that sparked Dean back to life. 

“Fuck this shit, Cass. There’s no one left alive on this level. Let’s get to the top and end that fuckin’ assbag once and for all.” 

Cass was still standing over Donna’s body. Dean gently took Cass’s hand and led him back to the elevator. When the doors opened to reveal the main floor, something wicked and predatory took root in Dean. He dropped Cass’s hand and surged forward, firing off curse after curse at Death Eaters that were locked in heated duals with his friends. He no longer cared about protecting himself or anyone else for that matter. He had one goal:  _ Kill Voldemort. Gut anyone that tries to stop you. This ends  _ **_now,_ ** _ he will not hurt another person ever again.  _

He caught sight of familiar faces as he zig-zagged through the fray. Gabe, Beetee, Hael, Ash, Cato. Even Professor Crowley was fighting on their side, which took Dean by surprise because up until that exact moment, he would have sworn Crowley was a Death Eater, too. He came across Fenrir Greyback, the bastard werewolf that had caused him to get stung by dozens of Tracker Jackers in his fifth year. He was attempting to hit Sirius with the Cruciatus Curse, and it  _ just fucking figured  _ that the guy was trying to torture Sirius instead of kill him.  _ That’ll be your last mistake, Greyback.  _ Once more, the anger flooded him until red spots were blurring his vision. He uttered the Killing Curse in a guttural growl, and it hit Fenrir right between the shoulderblades. For a split second, Dean feared that he’d failed again, but the werewolf slumped to the ground and Sirius shot him a grateful thumbs-up before turning on his heel and racing off to help the others. 

He noticed Alyssa and Hael dueling a pair of Death Eaters, and they were losing ground quickly. He pulled his gun out of his waistband and fired off two successive shots, killing each of them. The girls smiled gratefully at Dean, but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything other than stare at them for a moment before pulling his gaze away. 

His eyes scanned the room, seeking out Chuck or Voldemort, but finding neither one. Instead, his eyes landed on Cato. He was bleeding from his head and the muggle clothes he’d put on for the fight were dirty and torn to shreds. A man that looked suspiciously like an older, douchier version of Cato was swinging his wand wildly and screaming curses Dean had never even heard before. Cato was fighting back with everything he had, but much like Alyssa and Hael, he wasn’t winning. Dean sprinted towards them and threw himself at Vernon Chester, bracing himself and squeezing his eyes shut as they hit the ground. Dean rolled onto his back and pulled the man with him, looping his arms up and around Vernon’s and linking his own fingers to keep him pinned to his chest. “Cato! Finish it now!” 

Cato’s bleeding, sweating form appeared above them with a knife in his hand and a gleam in his eye that for a second, made Dean wonder if Cass was right about him being insane. “This is for Sarah, and for every muggleborn kid you ever hurt. But mostly, this is for  _ me. _ ” Cato swung his blade down and plunged it into the side of Vernon’s neck. Dean pinched his eyes shut and closed his mouth tightly against the spray of blood that came shooting out of Vernon’s throat when Cato pulled the blade back. Nausea rose violently in Dean as he felt Cato’s father’s blood covering his face. The man jerked wildly in his arms for several long, agonizing moments, but Dean held steady until the struggle finally ceased and Vernon Chester became nothing but dead weight on top of him. 

He hurriedly pushed off the limp form and rose to his feet, wiping the blood from his eyes and blinking rapidly to restore his vision. Cato was staring down at his father’s body with a look of distaste and satisfaction, but there was no shred of insanity in his eyes now. Dean took that as a good sign and continued his search for Voldemort. Cato followed him this time, and after a few paces, Cass and Sirius fell in step beside him. 

He heard a loud, screeching sound and ducked down, turning his body to look for the source of the noise. It was an occamy, which looked sort of like a cross between a raven and a snake. The thing was huge, longer than any Dean had seen or heard of before and it’s two massive wings were beating fiercely as it swooped down and plucked a Death Eater right off the ground and flung her against the wall. Her body cracked and crumpled as it made contact, and hope sparked in Dean, because maybe, just maybe - they had enough power on their side to turn the tide. 

The next several moments of the battle were a blur of Patronus light and dust clouds. He took a small measure of comfort in the knowledge that if members of Team Free Will could still muster the ability to conjure their Patronuses, then maybe they still stood a chance. He looked around for Dementors but didn’t see any, although he wasn’t sure if that was due to the sheer power radiating from the combined Patronuses or that there simply just weren’t any. He didn’t bother trying to add his own.

Dean yanked his knife out of the chest of a Death Eater that had tried to sneak up on him when he heard a scream. He looked over to see Alyssa Blake being pushed roughly by a Death Eater. His gut reaction was confusion, because why would a Death Eater use physical force, especially when Dean could see his wand in his hand? The thought barely had time to form fully in his mind before the answer became painfully, horrifically clear. Her back arched at an unnatural angle as she fell backwards, and even through the noise of the battle he was sure he could hear the squelching sound her body made as it was impaled on the sharp end of a fallen beam. She convulsed twice before stilling. Dean’s heart wrenched.  _ At least she gets to be with Sammy again.  _

The reminder that his brother was gone was almost enough to pull him under, but in that moment, he finally caught sight of Chuck and Voldemort. Neither of their lips were moving, but their wands didn’t still for a moment as they cast spells and countercurses at each other, the room around them exploding each time they missed their mark. Dean’s stomach twisted and he fought with himself over whether or not to intervene. He worried that any small distraction on Chuck’s part would cause him to lose, and if Voldemort defeated Chuck here, all hope was lost. 

Voldemort continued driving Chuck backwards, a look of pure, determined hatred on his face. Chuck, for his part, looked like he’d rather be anywhere else in that moment. Dean couldn’t blame him, but a new kind of fear bubbled up in him as he realized that even though Chuck agreed to help them, he had no guarantee that he would actually  _ kill  _ Voldemort. He thought about what he’d said, and what Dean would have done if it were Cass or Sam that had gone darkside. He’d like to tell himself that he would do what was best for the masses and end any potential threat, even if it came from someone he loved, but in the back of his mind and deep in his heart he knew that wasn’t true. Love really does make people do stupid things. 

He tore his eyes away from Voldemort and Chuck to take stock of the rest of Team Free Will. He realized with a jolt that there weren’t many of them left standing, but he knew he didn’t have the capacity to dwell on that right when they were so close to the end. He switched his focus to the Death Eaters. From what he could tell, they were nearly extinct. There were a few scattered duals still going on, but a vast majority of the surviving members of Team Free Will were huddled in pairs, trying to heal each other of their wounds. 

He heard Voldemort laugh maniacally from behind him, and terror squeezed at his heart as he whipped around to see what could have happened to make him so pleased. Chuck was on the ground, scrambling to find his wand. Dean saw Newt out of the corner of his eye, dropping down low and whispering something Dean couldn’t make out. He wasn’t sure who he was supposed to be talking to, but Voldemort was raising his wand and Dean knew in that moment that if something didn’t distract him, he would kill Chuck and then the rest of them. 

Cass must have had the same idea, because right as Dean was bending over to pick up a loose chunk of concrete to throw at him, Cass’s magically amplified voice cut through all other sounds. 

“Hey, assbutt!” 

_ Assbutt? Did he seriously just call Voldemort an assbutt?  _ He had, and it was definitely enough to draw Voldemort’s attention. Dean’s eyes snapped to his fiance’s and saw a fire raging in them that he’d never seen before. Here, standing up to their greatest enemy in their darkest hour, Cass was beautiful. He was determined and fierce and  _ strong,  _ and for a moment, Dean wondered how anyone could ever doubt that Cass was capable of doing absolutely anything he set out to do. 

Voldemort hissed at Cass, but before he could even raise his wand, it was falling to the ground as his hands flew up to his face. He doubled over, his sputtered hissing noises growing louder and more insistent by the moment. Dean had no idea what was happening; from what he could see, no one was casting a spell in his direction. A few moments later, Voldemort stood with a snarl, and everything became clear. Newt raced across the room, scooping something off the ground and holding it close to his chest as he sprinted towards Dean. Dean caught him to halt his progress as Voldemort turned to face them. His eyes were completely gouged out of his head, leaving behind nothing but black, bloody holes in their absence. Voldemort dropped to his knees and started patting the ground in search of his wand, and Dean finally turned to look at Newt. 

There, in his outstretched palms, was Groot. “I thought I told you once not to underestimate what small creatures can do, Dean.” Newt was smiling proudly down at his bowtruckle, whose long, sharp fingers were coated in blood. Groot made a pleased chirping sound, and that seemed to snap any last shred of sanity in Dean. He laughed, loudly enough that the sound reverberated off the walls and bounced back to his own ears. 

“Fucking Groot! Are you shittin’ me!” Dean couldn’t wrap his head around it, but luckily for him, he didn’t have to. Chuck finally had the edge he needed to finish it, and he did. 

“ _ Avada Kedavra!”  _ It was uttered almost lazily, but the effect was the same. It hit Voldemort as he uselessly searched for his wand, and then it was over. 

The Dark Lord was dead. 

\--------------------------

The next day, Dean stood with the survivors outside of Hogwarts. The row of pyres stretched on as far as the eye could see, and Dean knew there were seventy three of them in total. Seventy three people they lost during the battle at the Ministry of Magic, bringing the total death count for the war as a whole to a hundred and thirty six. As wars go, Dean knew that number was mercifully low. It could have been a lot worse, but then again, they’d still lost a majority of the people they started this war with. 

Chuck lit the first pyre and Dean watched as they ignited like dominoes. He was no longer sure whose pyre was whose, but the list of people was forever seared into his brain.  _ Sam. Alyssa. Donna. Effie. Cressida.  _

_ Sam.  _ His brother was gone, and even though they’d won the war, Dean was having a hard time believing that it was worth all that they had lost. His heart ached, and the adrenaline and drive that had been keeping him going for years now was gone. He had no mission now, no purpose. No one to save but himself, and as he watched the flames consume the bodies of those who laid down their lives to finish the war that he and Cass had started, he wasn’t sure he even deserved to be saved.

He laced his fingers tight with Castiel’s and looked over, scanning his face. “Do you think it’s ever gonna get easier?” 

Cass set his jaw and squeezed Dean’s hand. “I sure hope so, Dean.” He licked his bottom lip and shifted his eyes to Dean’s. “Rue’s still hurts. I guess it takes a really long time to stop.”

He knew Cass was right. He still felt each and every loss like it had just happened yesterday. “At least it’s over.” 

Cass nodded and breathed out deeply. “It’s over. No more fighting, no more dying, no more pain.” He looked back at the flames and spoke quietly. “It’s over.”

Cato and Sirius joined them. Cato lightly bumped Cass’s shoulder as Dean eyed him warily. “I don’t know if you guys have been paying attention or not, but this shit isn’t over yet. We destroyed the Ministry, the  _ real  _ Minister died in the fight because he was too fucking dense to stay behind, and we have no judge now since Osiris is dead.” Cato raised his eyebrows. “We might’ve taken out the bad guy, but most of the good guys died, too. We’ve got no leader and no court system.”

Sirius shrugged, as if he had no care in the world. “Fuck it.”

Dean nodded. “What he said. That ain’t our problem, Cato. We rid the world of evil and all that shit, it’s not our job to put it back together.” 

Chuck approached them. “You let me worry about putting the world back together. I think you guys have done enough, don’t you?” 

“Hell fucking yeah we have,” Sirius said. 

Dean looked at Chuck with a curious expression. “Hey, uhh… I know we were hard on you. But you came through when it mattered, so uhh… thanks.” 

Cato scoffed and elbowed Sirius. “C’mon. Let’s get the fuck out of here, I don’t think we need to listen to Winchester suck Chuck’s dick over doing his fucking job.” Sirius gave Dean an apologetic shrug and turned away, leaving with Cato. 

Chuck simply smiled, giving a slight nod, ignoring Cato completely. “I should be the one thanking you guys.” With that he turned, and walked over to a nearby tree. Dean watched as Chuck leaned back against it, his eyes on the flames.

After a while of silence, Castiel cleared his throat quietly and looked to Dean. “Hey, Dean?”

“Yeah, angel?” Dean pulled his eyes from Chuck to focus on Cass. 

Cass hesitated for a short moment and chewed on the inside of his cheek, before he took a deep breath and looked over at Dean. “I think I want to go see my mom.”


	40. Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Full credit for this chapter goes to wegoddessofhell.

**_Castiel:_ **

“Hey, mom. I wanted to tell you that I met someone, and together, we saved the world.” Castiel swallowed hard and sat down in the chair next to his mom’s hospital bed. “I brought Dean with me, he’s the one I met.” Cass flicked his eyes to where Dean was for a moment, before looking back at Lailah. 

“It all started when I was in my last year at Hogwarts. The day of the Choosing, actually. One of my good friends Charlie was chosen, but I volunteered in her place. Dean did the same for his brother, Sam. There were a whole bunch of other people that were chosen too. Finnick Odair, Rue Marsh, Cato Chester, Ash Harvelle and so many more.” He paused for a moment to look over at Dean again, making sure he was still there.

Dean had leaned against the doorframe to the hospital room with his arms crossed, watching on. Castiel nodded slightly to him and then shifted his eyes back to his mom and took her hand. “We got sent to this house. We lived there while we were training for the Mudblood Games. Dean made sure that everyone was on the same page about not killing each other. He was determined that we were going to be the group that ended it. Most of us were on board, except for Cato. His dad was Vernon Chester, I don’t know if you know who he is or not, but he sold Cato out for dating a muggleborn girl named Sarah. Cato was forced into the games and I now understand that  _ that’s _ why he was so angry.”

Castiel had to pause again when a nurse entered the room to check on Lailah. She offered Castiel a small smile and then patted Lailah’s shoulder before she turned and left. Castiel watched her until she was gone, and then squeezed his mom’s hand. “We had a few days to train and improve our skills, and then on the last day we had to show them off to a panel of people. Caesar Flickerman, Seneca Crane, the Hogwarts professors… there were a lot of people. I made potions and used a muggle weapon, and then I filled out a star chart without a reference. I surprised myself with that one, too.” He smiled a little and studied his mom’s face for a long moment, before he continued, “I also promised there’d be a rebellion. And there was, but that comes later. Later that night we were all sponsored stuff by the people who had been watching us. Professor Cinna, who was my Astronomy teacher, he gifted me the star chart I had filled out when I was showing my skills. I was really confused, but there was a note on it that said something about me always being his brightest star. Weird, right?”

Cass leaned back in his chair a little but didn’t let go of his mom’s hand. “Dean orchestrated two escape attempts, and he managed to get everyone out except three. Him, myself, and Rue. I think I’ve mentioned her to you before, but it’s okay if you don’t remember. She was a Hufflepuff and -” he shook his head a little. “Anyways, after everyone was gone, it wasn’t long until we were sent to Purgatory. Rue and I found each other first, and then Dean was able to summon the shirts we were wearing to him, and with a stroke of luck, it took us with it. We were all together and suddenly things weren’t as scary as they previously were. I mean, it wasn’t sunshine and rainbows, but it wasn’t as terrifying as it had once been.”

He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes for a moment. “Not until Rue was kidnapped and killed by a werewolf. His name was Garth Fitzgerald, he was a Hufflepuff at one point too. After Rue died… I was a mess. I nearly got Dean and I killed that night too. I could’ve died a lot of times in Purgatory if it weren’t for Dean. It took some time, but I eventually was able to function again. We met up with a group of survivors, mom. There was a group of  _ actual  _ people still alive in Purgatory. They didn’t die and they never found the portal, so they just created a new life for themselves. Some of them had been there for as long as _ six years _ . Dean and I were able to camp with them for a while, but eventually we knew we needed to move and continue to try and find the portal.”

“Dean came up with this plan that I despised. He wanted us to find the portal, and then he wanted me to go through it without him. He wanted me to take a Polyjuice potion - it makes you look like another person - and he wanted me to escape and to find a way to come back for them. I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared in my entire life, but I agreed. I knew that we only had one chance and that this was our best shot.” Castiel glanced at the door to see that Dean was no longer standing there, and Cass’s stomach sank slightly, but he looked back to his mom to continue. “We had our plan and now we just had to find the portal. I got pretty messed up one day in Purgatory and again I nearly died, but Dean was there to save me. I was stuck in the cave we had made our own for quite some time after that, so I had a lot of time on my hands. I spent most of it being grumpy and studying the star chart, and one day it all clicked in my head. This star chart wasn’t an ordinary one, it acted as a map of Purgatory and if we followed it, we’d find the portal.”

He took a sip of water and nodded. “So that’s what we did. We followed the star chart and we ended up finding the portal. I took the Polyjuice potion which made me look like Dean and I was sent to Voldemort’s mansion after I had stepped through. He’s a real asshole, did you know that? Anyways, Dean was sponsored by his best friend Sirius’s mom. She agreed to take him in if he was the one that made it out of Purgatory, because whoever won had to become part of Voldemort’s world; they couldn’t go back home. Since I looked like him once I had left Purgatory, she was able to take me in. After she read a note that Dean had written to her explaining the whole thing, she agreed to help us. She let me shower and fed me and I even slept for a little bit, but I knew I didn’t really have much time for all that. Once I was feeling better, she took me back to Hogwarts where I was reunited with a bunch of people. Sam, Charlie, Sirius, Finnick, Cato and all the others had been working behind the scenes it seemed, and they were trying to figure out a way to get us out. Once I got back I was able to make everyone work together and I led a huge Purgatory escape.”

He fell silent as his mind was filled with thoughts about Voldemort, but he pushed them down so he could continue the story. “When I first escaped, Voldemort branded me with the Dark Mark.” He rolled up his long-sleeved shirt and showed his mom where the image was burned into his skin. “See? This mark allowed me to cross through the portal freely. I made my way back into Purgatory through the portal in Voldemort’s house and I summoned Dean’s shirt to me, but he wasn't wearing it. His shirt came but he didn’t so I panicked.” Castiel grinned a little at the memory of Dean barreling after it. “But he was chasing it down, so in the end we were back together. I transferred the mark to everyone else in Purgatory so they could all escape too, and they did. After all the times Dean had saved me, I was finally able to save him.”

Castiel took a moment and really looked at his mom. She hadn’t changed much since the last time he head seen her, she just looked a little older. She still looked lost, her eyes fixed upon nothing. She wasn’t responsive, not really. She didn’t acknowledge anyone, but Cass didn’t care. She deserved a good story. “What happened after was… bloodshed, mom. It was terrible. There was so much fighting and killing. Both of Sirius’s parents were killed, both of Dean’s as well. Aunt Naomi was killed too.” He blinked back his tears and smiled sadly. “We got our revenge though, mom. We retook Azkaban by sneaking in and breaking out all of the prisoners. We disguised ourselves as Death Eaters with the help of Polyjuice potion and there was a huge battle. A lot of really good people died in there, but their sacrifices were the thing that helped us succeed. After that battle I, uh, I had a really stupid idea.”

“I was so angry, mom. I felt useless and weak and I just needed to do something. So, I did. I left the house in the middle of the night. Everyone was exhausted from the Azkaban battle, but I wasn’t. I had so much adrenaline that I decided to break into Voldemort’s house in an attempt to battle him, one-on-one. As you can imagine, that didn’t go as planned. He beat me nearly to death with the help of his snake. He sent me away as a message to the others but mom… I killed Caesar Flickerman. Before Voldemort realized what was going on, I was able to kill him. I got revenge for everyone he ever hurt.”

He smiled a little and brushed his thumb over the back of her hand. “Dean was really mad at me, but it was okay. In the end he ended up asking me to marry him.” His smile grew as he spoke again, “I’m engaged, mom. After we had our happy moment, we knew it was time to get back to business, and the next thing on our list was to take down the Ministry of Magic. We had an army, at least over a hundred people were standing with us. We charged in there and… it was a disaster. Dean lost his brother in that fight, so in the end both of the people we volunteered for died anyways. It wasn’t an easy battle but… we prevailed. I distracted Voldemort enough that Newt was able to send his bowtruckle Groot in, and that brave little guy actually blinded Voldemort. Chuck ended it. Lord Voldemort was dead and the world was saved.” Castiel took a deep breath at the end of the story and let it out slowly. He was wondering where Dean went and if he was ready to go home, but he was quickly brought back to his mom when he felt her squeeze his hand. It was light, but it was definitely there.

“Thank you, Castiel.”

Cass blinked in surprise, and warmth spread through his body at her words.  _ She remembers me. She knows my name. She heard me.  _ He cupped her hand in both of his as tears welled in his eyes, unable to say much of anything. 

Dean’s voice sounded behind him as he came to sit next to Cass. “That’s a damn good story, angel. And y’know what? I think you were right all along.” 

Cass looked over at him with bleary eyes. “About what, Dean?” 

He just smiled. “We really are stronger together.” 

**END OF PART FOUR**


	41. Epilogue: Ramble On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten years after the end of the war, Cass and Dean finally tell their story and begin to recover.

**_Sam: Hogwarts, October 1st, 2033_ **

Sam Novak sat next to his twin sister Rue at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall and eagerly awaited his food. He knew today was special, because it was the day that he was finally going to hear the story of how his dads saved the world. When he and Rue were adopted by Cass and Dean five years ago, he’d thought their names sounded familiar, but his birth parents were muggles that hated wizards, so most of his information came secondhand at the orphanage they were placed in. They were only eight when his sister began showing signs that she was a witch, and their birth parents had tried to hide her abilities. When they realized that they wouldn’t be able to hide her forever, Tormund and Gilly Whittaker were put up for adoption. Their caseworker Sarah had been wonderful, and it wasn’t even six months later before they were officially adopted by Cass and Dean. Dean had hated the fact that their parents named them after Game of Thrones characters, so they were given the middle names Sam and Rue, and that was what they went by. 

He had pestered his dads over and over again for the full story, especially once he got to Hogwarts and his friends that had grown up in wizarding households started asking him what it was like to be the son of heroes. They had always politely refused, and he never pushed too hard because he could tell that whatever had happened still affected them. He’d heard the general summary of the Uprising from Headmistress McGonagall the first two years he had attended Hogwarts on the anniversary of Choosing Day, but since this year marked a decade since the end of the war, he was  _ finally  _ going to hear his dads tell what really happened. 

It had always been strange having his dads at school with him and Rue. Castiel taught Astronomy and Dean taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, and they were already professors at the time they decided to adopt. 

Rue reached over to steal a piece of toast from him and he smacked her hand. “Hey! Get your own.” She huffed and turned to the boy sitting on her other side, Silas Chester, and he blushed as he handed her a piece of his own toast. Sam shifted his body away from her, guarding his plate and looking up to the table where the professors and Headmistress sat. He was anxious and excited for the ceremony to begin, so for the first time in his recollectable memory, he couldn’t wait for dinner to be over. 

He didn’t have to wait long. Headmistress McGonagall stood up and tapped her spoon on her glass, calling attention to the students in the Great Hall. “Attention everyone! This is a rather special day, so I would appreciate it if you all could at least  _ pretend  _ to look engaged. As many of you know, October 1st used to be a day of great sadness in the wizarding world, but thanks to the bravery of a few students, their professors, and some prominent witches and wizards - it is now nothing more than a day for celebration and remembrance. It has been exactly ten years since the small army known as Team Free Will rid the world of Lord Voldemort and virtually all of his supporters. For the first time, Castiel and Dean Novak are going to share their story with you.” She paused and looked at a girl seated at the front of the Hufflepuff table. “No, Ms. Clark, you may not address them as anything other than ‘Professor’.” The girl audibly sighed, and his dad leaned forward. 

“Aw, c’mon, lighten up. They all call me Dean anyway; Professor Novak is Cass.” Sam grinned at the way Dean’s eyes lit up, because as ready as he was to hear this story, he didn’t want it to make his fathers sad. 

“Be that as it may, we are getting terribly off topic, and this is supposed to be a somber event.” McGonagall fixed him with her cat-like gaze, but Dean simply laughed. 

“Somber? We’re celebrating, aren’t we? I was told there would be pie.” Cass elbowed Dean for his words, but Dean just leaned in and kissed him. In front of the  _ whole school. _

Rue giggled beside him. “They’re cute. We hardly ever get to see them like this,” she whispered to him. 

He turned to look at his twin, whose deep brown eyes were dancing. “They’re gross, is what they are.” He couldn’t stop his own smile though, because Rue was right. He flicked his own hazel eyes back up to the front of the hall where Dean and Cass were now standing alongside Silas’s dad Cato, someone he’d never seen before, and his Uncle Sirius. He shifted in his seat and sat up straighter.

“So uhh, yeah. You guys already know me and Cass, or at least you  _ should,  _ cuz we’re easily the coolest professors here. This is Newt Scamander, Cato Chester, and Sirius Black. As Headmistress McGonagall said, we kinda saved the world.” Dean grinned, which earned him another elbow from Castiel. 

“What he means, is that we led the charge against Voldemort. So yes, in a way we helped save the world, but we had a  _ lot  _ of assistance, so saying it like that is a little bit of an embellishment.” Cass rolled his eyes when Dean silently mocked Cass from next to him, causing Rue to giggle again. 

“Will you shut up, I’m trying to listen!” His words were hissed at Rue, and she in turn gave him the same expression Dean had just given Cass. 

“Silas already told me the full story, his dad told him  _ everything.”  _ Rue’s words were smug, and Silas smiled sheepishly next to her.

“I don’t  _ care  _ what Silas knows, I want to hear it from them, now  _ shut up.”  _ By the time Sam turned his attention back to his dads, they were already part way through the story. He tuned Rue and Silas out as Cass, Dean, Cato, Sirius and Newt took turns recounting the events of the war. He was surprised to learn that he really did know most of that already, but the details he’d gotten had been sparse to say the least. His chest heaved with pride when they explained how Dean organized not one but  _ two  _ escape attempts, saving all but three of the Chosen before they’d even set foot in Purgatory. Cass had helped a lot with the second and more successful attempt, and he found himself in awe at what they had been capable of when they weren’t much older than Sam was right then. 

He continued to listen, barely breathing from fear that he’d miss some crucial part to the story. Cato, Sirius and Newt filled in the gaps of his dads’ story, and each detail etched itself into Sam’s memory.  _ They really were heroes.  _ The hair on his arms stood as Newt and Dean explained the Battle of Azkaban and how Newt’s thunderbird Patronus drove back the Dementors, and how the two of them had held their Patronuses for over an hour while the others rescued everyone inside the prison. Next to him, Rue was crying. He reached out his hand and took hers, squeezing it gently. 

The whole Great Hall cheered when they got to the end and told them all how after years of fighting, they were finally able to take down Voldemort. 

Sam was on his feet, clapping and yelling along with the others until he thought his voice would leave him forever. His cheering faded when he saw the sad looks on his fathers’ faces and knew the story wasn’t quite over yet. He sat down quickly, pulling Rue with him and shushing his friends. 

“Yeah, we got the bad guy in the end,” Dean said. “But he took a  _ lot  _ of really decent people with him. We uhh… we wanted to take a moment to read their names. Without them, we’d have never won this war.” His dad stopped and cleared his throat, looking at the list in front of him and clenching his jaw. 

Castiel put his hand on Dean’s arm, and Dean slowly lowered the parchment he was holding. Cass turned his attention towards the students and took over. “Rue Marsh. Garth Fitzgerald. Finnick Odair.” Sam watched as Dean turned his head down and to the side in an attempt to hide his face. Sam got the feeling that Finnick’s death must have affected him pretty bad, although Sam didn’t remember ever hearing the name. “Primrose Everdeen. James Potter. Jody Mills. Alecto Carrow. Plutarch Heavensbee. Mary Winchester. John Winchester. Naomi Novak. Walburga Black. Orion Black. Charlie Bradbury. Jo Harvelle. Peter Pettigrew. Bobby Singer. Molly Weasley. Cinna. Sam Winchester.” Cass paused and took Dean’s hand, and Sam didn’t even have to see the tears welling in Dean’s eyes to know that that was his brother, and Sam’s namesake. “Alyssa Blake. Donna Hanscum. Effie Trinket. Cressida Bennett. Hael Vetter. Fergus Crowley. Beetee Latier.” The list went on until well over a hundred names had been recited from Cass’s memory. He fell silent, and not a single sound could be heard in the entire Great Hall, until Dean muttered a ‘thank you’ to Cass. 

Sam couldn’t even comprehend that level of loss, and he was starting to understand why they’d refused to tell him and Rue this story for so long. It wasn’t a bedtime story, it was their lives, and the people that died had been their friends; their families. Sam wiped away his own tears as his sister sobbed silently next to him. 

Dean seemed to sense the shift in the room, so he cleared his throat. “I don’t know if any of you guys will remember those names or not, but we will. And you should, cuz they’re the only reason that you guys will never have to live through what we did. There are no more Choosings, and if we’ve got anything to say about it, there will never be anything like it again.” Dean paused for a moment and then smirked. “Me and Cass have officially retired from the world-savin’ business, but uhh… if another douchenozzle like Voldemort ever decides to get frisky again, just throw up the bat signal and we’ll be there.” Headmistress McGonagall leveled a glare at Dean that was icy enough to freeze him solid, and Dean just smiled sheepishly at her. “Hey, sorry, Minerva. I call it like I see it, and if you can think of a better word to describe that S.O.B., I’m all ears.” 

McGonagall seemed to contemplate that for a moment and then sighed heavily. “No, no… I suppose if there was ever someone that fit the term  _ douchenozzle,  _ it would have been him.” The entire student body erupted in laughter, but the loudest laugh of all was Dean’s. 

The rest of the ceremony was short. They lit candles for each of the people that died, and Sam made a mental note to commit their names to memory, because Dean was right. These people deserved to be remembered.

When the food disappeared and students started filing out of the Great Hall to return to their common rooms, Sam lingered for a moment longer to look at the candles and his parents. They were huddled close together by the cluster of candles that had been lit for their closest friends and family members, and Sam’s heart was breaking for them. He wanted to go to them to offer words of support, but he had no idea what to say. How could he ever put into words how grateful he was to them, both for creating a better world and for saving him and Rue? 

He was jarred from his thoughts by Rue and Silas, who were trying to get his attention from the door. “Earth to Sammy! Are you coming or what?” He turned towards his sister and followed her out of the Great Hall after one last glance towards the candles. They made the trip to the Gryffindor common room rather quickly, and after giving the portrait the password ‘thunderbird,’ they were let inside and found the fires already lit and mugs of hot chocolate waiting for them. 

He grabbed a mug and sat down in his favorite armchair near the biggest of the fires. He barely had time to take the first sip before his housemates descended on him and Rue, shooting off question after question about what it was like to be the kids of Cass and Dean Novak. 

“They’re just…  _ dads. _ ” Sam knew that Rue’s words didn’t begin to cover what he was feeling in that moment, but for the second time he found himself not knowing how to explain it. 

His friend Kyle shook his head. “We knew they were badass, but McGonagall never told us  _ half  _ of that story. The way Cass broke right into Voldemort’s house?! That’s insane! Your dads are insane, in the  _ best  _ way.” 

Sam smiled, because he had to agree. Spending the last several years with Cass and Dean had had its challenges - mostly stemming from their PTSD and the never-ending stream of terrible dad jokes from Dean. But they had also been accepting and loving and kind in ways that his birth parents never were, even before they found out about his and Rue’s magical abilities. That was one story that Dean  _ had  _ told them. Once Cass and Dean had recovered enough from the trauma inflicted by the war, they’d gotten married. It was only a couple of years after that that they started looking to adopt a child and officially start a family. They hadn’t expected to end up with twins, but when Dean had learned that they dealt with the same things from their birth parents that Dean had with his father, it was a done deal. He glanced up at Kyle. “Yeah, they’re crazy, but at the end of the day… what kid doesn’t want a superhero dad? It just so happens, I’ve got  _ two _ .” 

**_Castiel: Hogwarts, October 1st, 2033_ **

After the ceremony, Castiel could tell that the Great Hall emptied rather quickly because it fell silent fast. Himself, Dean, Cato, Sirius and Newt were stood around a few candles that represented their friends and family. Cass squeezed Dean’s hand and looked over at him briefly. “Are you alright?”

Dean brushed the back of his hand under his nose and nodded, sniffling. “Yeah, angel. I’m good. Just didn’t really get any easier, y’know?” 

Castiel nodded in understanding because he knew how Dean felt. He shifted his eyes to Newt and Sirius who both had a solemn expression on their faces. When he turned to Cato, he couldn’t really pick a word that described the look on his face. He looked angry and sad, but also a little bit confused. If it was confusion, Castiel understood.  _ How did everything go so wrong so fast, and why does it still hurt this bad? _ He took a deep breath and chewed on the inside of his cheek. Other than Sirius, this was the first time that all of them had been reunited. Castiel was anxious, mainly because Dean and Cato hadn’t said a single word to each other yet. 

Cass remembered how terrible Cato had been at the beginning of all of this. How angry and miserable he was  _ all _ the time. But somehow, Dean managed to get through to him. He cracked him and suddenly Cato wasn’t so bad. There was still a tiny part of Cass that knew he’d always be a little bit angry at Cato for not even attempting to save Rue the day he got away, but the more Castiel thought about it, Rue Marsh wouldn’t have made it anyway. Despite how badly he wanted to, Castiel wouldn’t have been able to save her from that war no matter what he did. 

Cass’s thoughts were interrupted when Cato finally spoke up. “Hey, Winchester.”

Cass watched as Dean clenched his jaw. “It’s actually Novak now, and you’d know that if you’d have bothered to show up to the fucking wedding.” Dean turned to look at him. “Ten friggen years, Cato. Where the fuck have you been? I tried for  _ months  _ to get ahold of you after you ran. I sent letters, I sent my phoenix, I even tried to look up your fuckin’ address at the Ministry.”

Castiel was grateful he was standing between the two of them, knowing things could turn violent quickly. Cato kept his voice low and looked around Cass to Dean. “I know you did. I got them all. I took my family and I ran as far away as I could without ending up on another fucking planet.”

Dean let go of Cass’s hand. “Your  _ family?  _ For fuck’s sake, man,  _ I  _ was your family.” He gestured to the few people still left in the Great Hall. “We were your family, didn’t that matter to you?”

Cass tensed slightly and placed his hand on Dean’s arm. “Dean, come on. Not now.”

Cato clicked his tongue as he narrowed his eyes at Dean. “You had Cass and you were happy, man. I wanted to take Sarah and go somewhere else where  _ we _ could finally be happy. No offense, but sticking around here didn’t really feel like the place to do that.”

“I wasn’t asking you to stay, Cato. I was asking you to talk to me. To let me know you guys were okay, at the very least. I lost enough goddamn people that I loved in that war, and then you survived and  _ still  _ bailed out on me!” Dean had apparently decided to completely ignore Cass, so he just stood there and hoped this didn’t end in bloodshed.

Cato raised his eyebrows at Dean and then simply smirked. “You saying you loved me, Winchester? Damn, you really have gone soft on me in your old man years, huh?”

Dean looked almost constipated for a moment, and Cass held his breath. “Y’know what, fuck it, maybe I have. You were there, Cato. Every fuckin’ day of that nightmare before and after Purgatory.” He took a step closer to Cato. “So yeah, ya dick. I friggen cared about you, but I am  _ not,”  _ he poked Cato in the chest with a single finger, “old.”

Cato grinned, shrugging a little. “You’re kinda old.” He fell silent for a moment and then nodded. “But yeah, I should’ve at least let you know that I was still alive.” He eyed Dean’s finger on his chest and then swatted it away. “But if you’re expecting an apology, you might wanna lower your expectations.”

“Trust me, when it comes to you, my expectations can’t get any lower. And I knew you were alive, you’re like a fuckin’ cockroach. The whole world could come crashing to the ground and you’d be the one son of a bitch alive to roast marshmallows on it.” Dean let out a breath and flicked his eyes to Cass before looking at Cato. “And while I don’t expect… y’know, a  _ formal  _ apology, I absolutely will expect you to bring the booze on vacation this year.”

Cato shrugged and crossed his arms. “I don’t drink anymore, Winchester. I’m a changed man.”

Sirius scoffed, chuckling quietly. “Yeah, and I’m as gay as these two. We’re both huge fucking liars.”

Cass smiled a little because it didn’t seem like this was going to end with physical violence. He relaxed his shoulders and finally turned to face the empty hall. Everyone else seemed to follow his lead as Cato spoke again. “So, our kids seem to get along. How  _ my  _ son ended up in the fucking lion house, I’ll never know.”

Dean smiled. “He gets the best parts of him from his mom. How’s she doin’, anyway? I don’t think we’ve seen Sarah since she introduced us to Sam and Rue. I kinda hoped when she called, that meant you were gonna quit bein’ a dick but that was the first and last time we heard from either of you.”

Cato rolled his eyes but seemed to light up at the mention of his wife. “She’s good, really good, actually. She was here, I dunno where she ran off to, though.”

“That’s alright, you two are comin’ to Oahu with us anyway, even if I have to kidnap you two  _ and _ your kid. But I’m warnin’ you, Cato, if Silas puts his slimy little paws anywhere near Rue, it’ll be  _ you  _ I come after.” Dean grinned but there was definitely an edge of seriousness in his voice.

Cato shrugged. “Hey, it’s not my fault she’s crushing on him. I mean, he  _ does _ look like me, after all.” He smirked and then spoke again. “And besides, we’ve squared off before and we both remember how that turned out.”

“Yeah, we do, you let Alecto fight that battle for you.” Dean’s hand raised up to his chest where he still bore the scars of that duel. “So don’t go thinkin’ you could beat me.” 

Someone behind them cleared their throat, and Cass turned to see Chuck Shurley, the Minister of Magic. “I hate to interrupt what I’m sure would have been an entirely clean debate, but I wanted to borrow Castiel for a moment.” 

Castiel blinked and then looked to Dean, but turned his attention back to Chuck quickly and nodded. “Yes, okay.” He moved towards Chuck and followed him a few steps away from the others. “Is everything okay at the Ministry?”

Chuck scratched the back of his head as he watched Cato and Dean continue to bicker. “Yeah, you know… being Minister is a hard job, but somebody’s gotta do it. Things are good, although I don’t think we’ll ever stop asking you two to leave Hogwarts to come work for us. We could use Aurors like you guys.” He smiled at Cass. “But that’s actually not what I wanted to talk to you about, unless of course… you’ve changed your minds?” 

Castiel smiled but shook his head. “We haven’t, Chuck. Hogwarts means a lot to Dean and I, and not working here wouldn’t feel right. I owe it to Cinna to try and make the Astronomy course everything that it was when he was teaching it.”

Chuck sighed but nodded. “No, I understand. I really just wanted to ask you how Lailah was doing.” 

Cass wasn’t expecting that. He tilted his head and cleared his throat, trying to hide his shock. “She’s uh… she’s made a full recovery, believe it or not. It’s like she… snapped out of it. Her memory is still a little bit foggy but she’s much,  _ much  _ better. We were able to take her home from St. Mungo’s. It’s truly a miracle.”

Chuck smiled slyly. “Not a miracle, Castiel.  _ Magic _ .” 

Castiel squinted at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He watched Chuck for a long moment, and then it clicked in his mind. Or, at least he thought it did. “Was it you?”

He seemed to struggle with his answer for a moment, but he ultimately admitted it. “It was. To be honest, I wasn’t sure it would work. But I had some help from one of the more talented Healers in your mother’s ward, and we were able to at least speed up her recovery. All she needed was a little extra push, she did most of the hard work on her own.” 

Castiel flicked his eyes between Chuck’s. He had so much to say, and so many questions, but the only words he managed to get out were, “thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, Castiel. That’s not why I did it. You guys deserved a win, and I couldn’t bring back any of the people you lost and this seemed like the next best thing. I also did it a little bit for myself, to be honest. There were so many people that I couldn’t save, I guess I just wanted to take a shot at actually doing some good.” 

Castiel just nodded. “It means a lot to me, Chuck.”

Chuck checked his wrist for a watch that wasn’t there. “Would you look at the time. I need to get back to the Ministry, but umm… let me know if you ever do change your mind about my offer.” 

Castiel cracked a small smile and rolled his eyes. “Don’t hold your breath.”

**_Dean: Oahu, Hawaii, December 24, 2033_ **

Dean woke up on Christmas Eve and smiled at the way the sun lit up Cass’s face. He was still sleeping, but Dean didn’t mind. He was grateful for any moments when Cass looked this relaxed. He leaned over and planted a soft kiss to the side of his head and then got up, getting dressed as quietly as he could. 

He tiptoed out of the room and paused for a second to get his bearings. They were in an eight bedroom cottage just off the beach in Oahu, Hawaii, and they’d only been there for about a day which meant he hadn’t really had a chance to get a feel for the house. He made his way to the kitchen and started brewing a pot of coffee. He shifted around the kitchen, triple-checking that they had everything they needed to make breakfast for the whopping fourteen people they crammed into this cottage. 

When the coffee finished brewing, he poured himself a cup and sipped it slowly, looking out the window over the sink at the beach. He smiled to himself because finally, after fifteen years, he was able to fulfill his promise to Cass that one day they’d be on a beach somewhere. He was surprised when Cato and Sarah actually showed up, but he had a feeling that Sarah had a lot to do with that. He wasn’t going to complain; as much as Cato got on his nerves, he really had missed him and he was looking forward to the chance to spend some time with him when they weren’t razor focused on survival, murder, or both. Not to mention they’d brought Silas, which meant Sam and Rue would have two kids to play with. Will was a few years older than them but had largely been robbed of his childhood, so he didn’t complain much. He was insanely proud of Newt. Even when everyone else had chalked the Obscurial up to a lost cause, Newt never lost faith in the boy underneath the chaos. He hadn’t seen either one of them much over the years, but unlike Cato, Newt had actually sent regular letters telling him about all of the adventures he’d taken Will on after the worst of the danger had passed, and was overjoyed to get their invitation. 

He was even more surprised that Chuck agreed to join them. He hadn’t even wanted to invite him, but Cass’s mom had insisted, so he sent out an invitation fully expecting it to be declined. He was the Minister of Magic, after all, which meant he had other things to do, right? Well, apparently not. He took another sip of his coffee and shook his head slightly. This was supposed to be just a nice, quiet family vacation… but it quickly spiraled into a full Team Free Will reunion. Sirius had brought along his “friend” Aria, but Dean knew that was bullshit. He’d never seen his best friend so head over heels for someone before and couldn’t for the life of him figure out why he was fighting it so much. He supposed it was leftover trauma from everything they’d lost, but it had been a decade. The wounds would never heal completely, but if Dean could get past it enough to be happy, why couldn’t Sirius?

He heard footsteps on the staircase and quickly pulled another mug from the cupboard, filling it up. He turned towards the source of the noise and found Gabriel looking disheveled and sleepy. He handed him the mug and took a couple of steps back - Gabe could be fiesty before he had caffeine. “You’re up early.” 

Gabe grumbled and nodded. “Yeah, well, the sun’s stupidly bright.”

He smiled to himself at the memory of how it played across Cass’s face. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it? I’m uhh… gonna make breakfast soon. Pancakes or french toast? Your call.” 

“Both.” Gabriel turned and opened the sliding glass door that led to the deck out back, and stepped outside. 

Dean rolled his eyes, fighting the urge to loudly insist that Gabe help him if he wanted both because he didn’t want to wake the others up. That didn’t last long however, because slowly but surely the kitchen started filling up with sleepy yet happy people. He started the bacon and potatoes since they’d take longer to cook, and when Cass still wasn’t out there, he went to find him. 

He knocked quietly on the door before opening it and going in. “Angel, you up?” 

Cass rolled to look at Dean, blinking his eyes open slowly. “I think so, yes.”

“Good, cuz I’m makin’ pancakes.” He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed next to Cass. “There’s coffee too, and bacon.” 

Castiel grinned, stretching his arms out. “Mhm, I can smell it. The bed is just so comfortable, though, and the view of the beach…”

He smiled. “Yeah, I know. Take your time, Cass. For once, we’re not in any hurry.” He leaned down and kissed him and then stood up. “If it’s ready before you are, I’ll bring it to you in here. How’s that sound?” 

Cass nodded but sat up, stretching again. “I should probably join you. Is everyone else awake? What time is it even?”

“I think it’s around ten, but I’m not sure. There actually aren’t any clocks in here.” He chuckled quietly. “And yeah, a couple of the kids are still out cold, but all the adults are awake and Will and Rue came down just before I came in here to get you.” 

Cass swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, pulling on his swim shorts and a t-shirt. “Okay. I could really use a coffee. Is there any left?”

He shrugged. “I made some, but it was going quick. C’mon, if it’s all gone, I can always start another pot.” He took Cass’s hand and walked out of the room, heading back to the kitchen. Sure enough, the coffee pot was empty. He shook his head and glared at Cato, who was walking away from the counter with a steaming mug of  _ something  _ in his hands. “Really, dude? You couldn’t have made more?” 

Cato shrugged and sipped the coffee loudly. “I could’ve, but I didn’t. You snooze, you lose.”

Dean tried to be pissed, but found it way harder than usual. He started a fresh pot and then resumed cooking breakfast. When it was done, he loaded some onto plates for him and Cass and then stepped back. “Help yourselves, I’m not your maid.” 

Rue rolled her eyes but body-checked Sam out of the way to grab a plate, loading it with mostly bacon. Sam narrowed his eyes. “Hey! Don’t eat it all!”

Dean grinned widely. “That’s my girl! Kick his ass, Rue. Don’t let anyone get between you and bacon.” He set Cass’s plate down in front of him and sat next to him with his own. 

Sirius sat down across from him, smirking. “Y’know, Dean, if Minerva ever cans you, you could always replace some of the House Elves in the kitchen.”

Dean contemplated that for a moment. “Free food whenever I wanted and free reign of the castle? Hell, I can think of worse jobs. I’d get to be damn near naked, too.” 

Cass grinned and spoke quietly. “I wouldn’t complain.”

Sam groaned and threw a pancake at Cass. “Gross, stoppit.”

Dean stopped chewing his food and pointed his fork at Sam. “Hey! You don’t throw food at your dad. That was a perfectly good pancake.” He reached over and picked the pancake up and plopped it down on his plate, reaching for the butter. 

Newt slid it closer to him, shaking his head with a grin. “My child doesn’t throw food. He’s good.”

“Yeah, well… mine’s taller than yours.” Dean stuck his tongue out at Newt and then resumed eating. 

The rest of breakfast passed in a flurry of conversation and the scraping of utensils on plates. When everyone was done, Dean looked at Sam and Rue. “I think you guys can do the dishes, yeah?” 

Rue and Sam huffed in sync, but Sarah spoke up. “Silas can help too, can’t you?”

Silas nodded once. “I guess I can, yeah.” He grinned at Rue and then stood, collecting the plates.

Dean’s eyes followed Silas to the sink, and he turned to look at Cass but was stopped short by the sight of Lailah and Chuck sitting  _ entirely  _ too close together. He blinked and muttered under his breath, “what the hell is goin’ on here?” 

Cass tilted his head and followed Dean’s gaze. “Wh- oh.  _ Oh _ . You don’t… you don’t think… with  _ Chuck _ of all people?”

Dean shrugged. “You  _ did  _ tell me he’s the one that saved her, right? I guess it’s really not all that unbelievable. Kinda gross, but hey. Who am I to judge?” He pushed up from the table and looked around. “Last one to the beach is a flobberworm!” 

\-----------------------------

That evening, Dean was sufficiently sun-soaked. They’d stayed on the beach for a few hours before taking turns getting showered and changed, and then they set out together to find a suitable Christmas tree. 

He was watching Gabe, Cato and Sirius argue as they tried to erect it in the living room of the cabin and lost his fight against laughing hysterically at them. After a few near misses, they finally got it standing and steady.

“Alright, so we all brought a few ornaments, yeah? Just uhh… try not to fight over space. Let’s keep this as civil as possible.” Dean rummaged through the small box of ornaments he and Cass had brought and picked one of them up, placing it on the tree. 

Will tore open a box of candy canes and hung one on the tree before opening another one and sitting down on the couch with it in his mouth. Rue picked one up and followed Dean’s lead, hanging a little bit below his. “Could they have picked a bigger tree?” she mumbled, reaching for another one.

Cato peeked his head around the tree from where he was standing on its other side. “This tree is perfect. Can’t have some wussy ass little Charlie Brown tree on Christmas. Besides, I had to get one bigger than your dad’s head, and that was hard to do.” 

Rue laughed and Sam shrugged. “Might be bigger than my dad’s head, sure isn’t bigger than your ego.”

Dean laughed triumphantly. “See, Cato? Even the kids know.” 

They finished decorating the tree with minimal arguments, which Dean was thankful for. The sun was setting and it was cooling off outside, so Sarah and Sirius’s “friend” Aria made everyone hot chocolate. 

Sirius cleared his throat and clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Alright, now at least in my house, it’s customary to pass out one gift each on Christmas Eve. It just so happens that everyone here will be opening a gift from me and Aria tonight, and I expect each and every one of you to put them to good use.” 

Dean quirked his eyebrow but helped him pass out the gifts, which were suspiciously all the same size and rather lightweight. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew what was inside of the boxes. “Dude, these had  _ better  _ not be what I think they are.” 

Sirius grinned mischievously. “Just open them.” 

Castiel hesitantly opened his box first, his eyebrows raising. He grinned and looked around. “Go on, everyone open yours.”

One by one everyone opened their gifts to reveal matching Christmas pajamas. Dean groaned audibly. “Did they  _ have  _ to be onesies?” He stretched it out to get a good look at it and only groaned louder. “An elf, dude? Seriously? Do I look like one of Santa’s friggen helpers?” 

Sirius’s smile only grew wider. “Not yet you don’t, but you will once you put those on.” 

Cato scoffed and shook his head. “No way. Nuh uh.”

Silas looked over at his dad. “Maybe he should’ve gotten you a Grinch one.”

Sarah nudged him but didn’t disagree. She smiled over at Sirius. “Thank you, Sirius. What a sweet idea.”

Dean shook his head. “Sweet my ass, he’s only doin’ this for the blackmail pictures.” He nodded his head towards Cato. “You gotta tell me, though. What kinda love potion did you slip Sarah here? She’s  _ way  _ too good for you, man.”

“Believe it or not, Cato wasn’t always such a… stick in the mud, if you will. He was fun at one point in time.” Sarah grinned over at Cato who tilted his head.

“You seemed to be having a  _ ton  _ of fun last night when I -”

“Okay!” Sirius cut him off. “Let’s put them on, yeah?”

There was a range of annoyance and excitement that passed through the room, but eventually everyone was dressed in their Christmas onesies. Castiel looked around and frowned. “Where’s my mom and Chuck?”

Chuck and Lailah rounded the corner at the same time, and all of the kids simultaneously face-palmed. “Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!”

“Ah, very clever.” Newt nodded. “Chuck as Santa, Lailah as Mrs. Claus… very clever indeed.”

Dean couldn’t stop staring at the ridiculous onesie he was wearing. He would never, ever admit it out loud… but an embarrassingly large part of him actually loved it. He tried to frown but couldn’t quite manage it as he looked back to Cass, who looked absolutely adorable in his. He grinned widely. “I think you should get one of those in every color. Or at least one for every holiday.” 

Castiel flicked his eyes to Dean and rolled them. “Only if you do as well, Dean. Make it a family tradition, hm?”

He walked close enough to Cass to whisper in his ear. “If it means seein’ your ass in something this tight more often, I’ll wear whatever the fuck you want me to, angel.” 

Castiel elbowed him as his face flushed. He seemed to fight the grin that ultimately made its way onto his face anyways. “Stop, we’re in public.”

He pulled Cass into a hug as an excuse to bite his earlobe. “Not my fault you invited the whole friggen world on vacation with us.” He pulled back and looked around at everyone. “So, who’s up for A Christmas Story?” 

Rue grinned and raised her hand. “Me!”

Silas watched her and then raised his hand too. “I’m in.”

Cass leaned over and kissed Dean’s cheek. “I’ll go make more hot chocolate, then.”

Dean nodded as Cass disappeared into the kitchen, and then shimmied his way onto the couch between Rue and Silas. “Ahh, that’s better. You guys want some popcorn or somethin’?” 

Rue scoffed and then narrowed her eyes at Dean. “Yeah, maybe you should go make us some.”

“Nah, I’m pretty comfortable here.” He gave her a cheesy grin and then chuckled, standing up. “I’m just kiddin’, guys. Just try to keep in mind that I’ve killed a  _ lot  _ of people.” He winked at Silas and then sat down on the other couch. 

Silas looked at Cato with wide eyes. “Dad?” 

Cato shrugged. “It’s your fault for falling for a damn Novak in the first place. I’m not responsible for what happens to you now.” 

Rue rolled her eyes as Sam sat down on the other side of her. “Ignore them, Rue. It works better than you’d think.”

Sirius chuckled and sat down on the ground, pulling Aria to his side and draping his arm around her. “Not me, though. I’m too cool to be ignored, right?”

Sam nodded. “You’re our uncle, you automatically get a pass.” 

Rue smiled at Sirius. “Aria too. You guys are the only cool ones around here.”

Dean put a hand over his heart and frowned. “You’re both grounded for the rest of your lives.” 

“Dean.” Lailah was giving him the  _ mom  _ voice. He smiled sheepishly at her and then mumbled to the kids, “I was just kiddin’.” That earned him a smile from Lailah and his heart warmed. She’d pretty much adopted him after she recovered, and Dean hadn’t realized just how much he truly missed having a mom. She was kind to him, and attentive and loving in a way his own mother never was. He was beginning to think he loved her every bit as much as Cass did. He watched Chuck put his arm around her, and his gut instinct was to say something protective in the same way he would for Rue or Sam, but then he remembered that literally none of this would be possible without him. He nodded to him in silent permission just as Cass came back with a tray full of mugs of hot chocolate. 

Cass settled on the couch next to Dean and he threw his arm around him, reaching for the remote with his other hand and starting the movie. 

Cass looked around and grinned, taking Dean’s hand. “It was a good idea to leave the castle for Christmas this year.”

He nodded and kissed Cass’s forehead. “Hey, I promised you a beach, you were gonna get a beach. Now was as good of a time as any.” 

He nodded and leaned his head on Dean’s shoulder. Sarah passed out some blankets, just in case anyone got cold and then sat down on some pillows with Cato.

The movie was over too quickly, and when the credits rolled, he turned off the television and stood up. “Alright, get your asses to bed. Christmas morning Novak style starts bright and early.” 

After a few good night hugs, everyone disappeared back to their bedrooms. Dean and Cass cleaned up all of the hot chocolate mugs and folded the blankets again before double-checking that all of the kids were asleep. They set out the presents under the tree and then made their way to their own bedroom. Dean took another look at his onesie and clicked his tongue. “This thing is actually kinda comfy.” 

Cass raised his eyebrows. “You think anyone would care if we took them off for the night? No one would know, hm?”

He chuckled quietly. “Angel, anyone that honestly expects you and me to stay clothed around each other hasn’t been payin’ a lick of attention over the past fifteen years.” 

\----------------------------

He woke up to the sound of laughter making its way up the stairs and through their closed door. He smiled to himself when he recognized both of his kids’ laughs in that mix, and he shook Cass lightly to wake him up. “Merry Christmas, angel.” 

Cass woke up with a smile and tilted Dean’s chin up to kiss him. “Merry Christmas, Dean.”

He hummed quietly. “I think they started opening their presents already, the little assbutts.” 

Cass chuckled and sat up, before getting out of the bed. He finds his onesie in a clump on the floor and picks it up, turning his back to Dean as he puts it back on. 

Dean followed his lead and together they walked down the stairs. Sure enough, nearly all the presents were opened already. He rolled his eyes. “Alright, which one of you assbags ruined Christmas?” 

Everyone paused and pointed at Cato. Cato rolled his eyes. “It’s not like you guys fought me on it.”

Dean shook his head. “You coulda at least woke us up.” 

Cato shrugged. “Your door was locked. I tried.” 

They opened the rest of the presents rather quickly, and all in all it was a successful morning. They ate breakfast after and all pitched in to help clean up the mess of dishes and torn wrapping paper that was littered around the room. By the time all of that was done, it was after noon. He glanced around. “You guys ready to hit the beach or what?” 

“Hell yeah!” Sam grinned, a towel tucked under his arm. 

Rue grinned as well and slid her flip-flops on. “I’ve gotta say, I don’t miss the snow. Being on a  _ beach _ for Christmas is pretty friggen awesome.”

Dean had to agree, but there was something about Christmas at Hogwarts that not even a beach could beat. The kids all raced out to the beach, with Cato, Aria, Sarah, Newt and Gabe close behind. Lailah and Chuck lingered for a few moments to make sure nothing else needed cleaned up before heading upstairs to get changed and then following the others out, leaving just Dean, Cass and Sirius in the house. 

“So uhh… Sirius. You ever gonna admit you and Aria are more than just friends?” 

Sirius rolled his eyes as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. He paused for a moment after closing it and then turned to him and Cass. “I’m gonna ask her to marry me tonight.”

Dean looked genuinely surprised, because he was. He beamed at his best friend and laughed as he pulled him into a hug. “It’s about goddamn time, man. I’m really happy for you.” 

Sirius smiled and hugged him back. “Thanks, man. I just hope she’s gonna say yes or I’m gonna look like one  _ giant _ idiot.”

“Aww, don’t kid yourself, man. You  _ already  _ look like a giant idiot, but I’ve come to the conclusion that’s just your face.” He ducked out of the way of the hand Sirius swung at him with a spurt of laughter. “Alright, alright. I’m just jokin’. She’d be a moron to say no.” 

Castiel grinned and nodded to Sirius. “Congratulations. She’ll say yes, I assure you.”

Sirius smiled and opened his beer, taking a sip. “I sure as hell hope so.”

“I’d call dibs on bein’ your best man, but judgin’ by those onesies, I don’t trust you to pick out my tux.” Dean grabbed towels for him and Cass. “We should probably get out there though.” 

Cass nodded in agreement and opened the back door, leading them out to the beach. The kids were in the water along with Newt, and everyone else was lounging around under umbrellas and laying on towels. 

Dean headed straight for the bar and returned a few minutes later, sitting down next to Cass and handing him a drink. “Here. It’s a bit late, but here’s that mai tai I’ve been promising you.” 

Castiel’s face lit up as he took the drink and took a sip. He closed his eyes and Dean saw him relax even more, as he leaned over to kiss him. “Thank you, Dean.”

He grinned. “Better late than never, but I always keep my promises, angel.”

Cass’s expression turned slightly horrified, and Dean wondered if he’d done something wrong or gotten the wrong drink. “Umm… Dean?” Cass pointed behind him and he turned to see Silas and Rue kissing. 

He shot to his feet and whirled around, looking for Cato. He spotted him near the water and ran towards him. “I warned you, Cato!” He didn’t give any further explanation or warning before body slamming him and knocking him into the water. The next couple of minutes were spent dunking each other and gasping for breath as they surfaced. 

“Get offa me, Winchester!” 

“No!” Dean dunked him again, but was laughing too hard now to do it properly and Cato barely went under. Cato smacked his arms away and struggled for a moment to find his footing. 

“Are you done?” 

Dean breathed heavily and shook his head to get some of the excess water off. “Yeah, yeah I’m done.” He waited a moment for his breathing to calm more and then looked at Cato. “In uhh… in all seriousness… Rue could do a lot worse.” He raised his eyebrows and poked Cato square in the chest. “I’ll never repeat that, and I’ll deny it till I die.” 

Thankfully, Dean was spared from whatever chick flick moment he’d just started by Gabriel calling loudly for a sandcastle building competition. He pushed Cato once more before heading back up onto the beach.

They spent the rest of the afternoon building sand castles, swimming and getting well acquainted with the bartenders. By the time the sun set over the ocean, Dean was sunburnt and a little drunk, but happier than he’d been since he was a child. They’d built a bonfire on the sand, and they were all seated around it and lost in conversation with each other. He watched as Chuck hesitantly stretched an arm over Lailah’s shoulders, and he prepared to fight the Minister of Magic himself before he noticed Lailah relax into him. Newt and Gabe were arguing over who’s sandcastle would be most likely to withstand a siege, and Cato was laughing brightly at one of Sarah’s jokes. He turned to look at Cass, smiling small but genuinely. “Y’know, tomorrow marks the actual ten year anniversary. Can you believe how far we’ve come since then?” 

Cass took a moment to answer, chewing on the inside of his cheek. He looked at Dean and smiled. “I think this is the first Christmas that I’ve been…  _ actually  _ happy on. We did amazing things, Dean. We deserve to be happy.”

He nodded and took Cass’s hand. “For a long time, I didn’t really believe that. But now? Yeah, I think we do. I think Sammy and Finn and Rue and the others would be damn proud of us. Not only did we finish the job, but we actually…  _ survived  _ it. We built lives we can be proud of, y’know?” 

Rue and Sam sauntered over and sat down, Rue beside Dean and Sam beside Cass. Sam spoke up and looked over at Dean. “Thank god you did, or who knows what would’ve happened to Rue and I.”

Dean put his hand on Rue’s shoulder and glanced around Cass to Sam. “You two are tough as nails. You’d have found a way to get through it, I’m just glad you didn’t have to. We might have saved the world, but adopting you two was the best damn thing we ever did.” 

Rue leaned into Dean’s side as Cass grinned, nodding. “He’s telling the truth. It truly was an amazing thing.”

“Thanks for doing that,” Rue said quietly. “You didn’t have to pick us, but you did, and you’ve given us a life that Sammy and I never thought we’d get.”

Sam huffed but smiled over at her. “It’s  _ Sam _ .”

Dean let out a quiet laugh. “You sound just like your uncle, y’know that? Just take the damn nickname and be happy about it. Just means she loves you, even if you’re stubborn.” He leaned over and kissed the top of Rue’s head. “And we didn’t pick you guys. You two picked us, you just didn’t know it. When we heard about the bullshit you two went through, there was never an option for us. You were part of our family before we ever officially even met.” 

Rue just smiled and leaned in closer as fireworks began on the other end of the beach. 

Will awkwardly shuffled over to them. “Rue, Sam? Silas and I are going to go watch them from the dock if you want to join.”

Rue leaned over and kissed Dean’s cheek before she jumped up, wrapping her towel around her shoulders. Sam grinned and stood as well. 

“Be careful you two, and don’t go too far, alright? Stay close and make sure you’re back at a half decent time, I’m too old to be chasin’ you two down!” Dean yelled at them as they raced towards the dock, but not one of them acknowledged that they had heard him. He leaned back in his seat with a huff. “Kids, man.” 

Castiel watched them go as well and grinned, before looking over at Dean. “You’ve got to love them, huh?”

“Course I do, Cass.” He looked around the beach, catching sight of Sirius on one knee to his left. He nudged Cass and pointed over to them and they watched as Aria said yes and pulled Sirius to his feet. Dean’s face was starting to hurt from how much time he’d spent smiling on this trip, but this was a particular pain he found he didn’t mind at all. He still missed every single person they’d lost, but it didn’t hurt like it used to. It was no longer debilitating, all-consuming grief, but something manageable. And the people around him now meant everything to him. Seeing them all like this, at peace and holding the people they loved the most, Dean felt whole again. Healed. Like finally, ten years later, everything they had sacrificed so much for was finally worth it. 

Dean watched the red and green Christmas themed explosions with a bittersweet chuckle, as they looked strikingly like the sparks they’d used as signals in Purgatory. “Remind you of anything, Cass?” 

Cass watched the sky and smiled, before looking over at Dean, shaking his head a little. “Nah. They just look like fireworks to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all, folks. I can't imagine more than a handful of people will actually make it this far, but if you're reading this... just know that we're eternally grateful to you for coming along on this ride with us. This story means the world to us (especially me), and even though I've written over a dozen other stories since we completed this one, I still and probably always will consider it as my crowning achievement. 
> 
> Carry on.   
> \- Ketch

**Author's Note:**

> This will be updated on Mondays. Please let us know what you think!


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